And Then You Were There
by Fairyflights
Summary: What happens when the daughter of two key members of the Order of the Phoenix meets the son of a Deatheater? Can they break the prejudices and forge a friendship despite all odds..the story of Rose, Albus and Scorpius...
1. Chapter 1 First Impressions

_**A/N Hello everyone! Welcome to the magical world of Hogwarts! I have tried my best to imitate the great JKR while describing places and mannerisms of the characters. This is my first attempt at a fanfic and I may fail horribly. I am scared. Can you help me? I'll be really grateful if you people go through the story and leave your honest opinions about it. Any kind of support is appreciated.**_

 **Disclaimer: The original HP characters are the express property of JKR. I only own the story.**

 _ **So...without further ado, I present to you...**_

 **And Then You Were There**

This story does not begin with the typical 'once upon a time'. It starts more like 'she slapped him in front of the entire crowd'. For you see, they are not some ordinary 'in-love' couple. They are Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley, two people expected to behave like angry tom cats defending their territories.

Rose Weasley is the miniature of her mother, with busy hair and caramel eyes, a bossy disposition and a thirst for knowledge (which is _not_ entirely related to books). But she gets her hair colour and wit from her father. And she gets a healthy dose of interest towards Quidditch from her cousins and uncles.

Scorpius is also the spitting image of his father, with platinum blonde hair and steel gray eyes, a typical Malfoyesque smirk and a swagger to boot. Besides looks, he also boasts of a brilliant brain inherited from his mother who is a remarkable witch herself.

And these two different individuals are doomed to be constantly pitted against each other from the very beginning due to the infamous history between their parents. But who knows…

'So that's little Scorpius. Make sure you beat him in every test Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains.'

That was the first time Rose noticed the pale boy. Dad was asking her to not get too friendly with him. But she didn't pay much attention. Dad always said things he didn't mean anyway. Rose was much more excited about the Sorting. Most of her cousins were in Gryffindor, though Victoire had been a Ravenclaw. Albus was hyperventilating about which house he would be sorted into because James had frightened him that he might be selected in Slytherin. The _prat_. Rose shook her head in amusement while hugging her mum and dad one last time. Then she skipped onto the scarlet Hogwarts Express and proceeded to wave to her family from the window. That's when she noticed the pale boy (with some kind of arachnid for a name) once again. He was hugging his mother and turned to his father to shake hands formally. Weird! Whoever acted formal in front of family?! Hugo has always been a hugger, even James liked being given a one-handed hug by Uncle Harry (though he pretended otherwise).

Intrigued, she watched him give his mum a last hug and board the train, hauling a huge ornate owl cage behind him. He was pretty tall for an eleven year old. The boy stopped in front of her.

'Erm…excuse me, but you are kind of blocking the path.'

Rose grinned at him. He blushed. Giggling, she held her hand out. 'Hi! I'm Rose.'

' Sc-scorpius. Pleased to meet you.'

 _Wow. Pretty well-mannered too_ , thought Rose. 'I've got an empty compartment. Want to join us?' she offered.

'Sure.'

'C'mon then,' beamed Rose.

They wound their way around more students hanging out of the windows to wave to their family until she stopped near a compartment. It was empty except for a scrawny black-haired boy. He had his nose stuck in a magazine.

'Hey Al ! Isn't it a bit early to start studying?' teased Rose.

The boy looked up and was going to say something when he spotted Scorpius. He ogled. Rose gestured Scorpius to step inside. 'Scorpius, meet my cousin Albus. And Al, this is…'

'You are a Malfoy!'

Scorpius stiffened. He had been warned by his dad to expect such censor from fellow-students. But he hadn't expected it so early into the journey. Even a hissed ' _Albus Potter!_ ' from Rose couldn't allay his wounded Malfoy pride. So he drew himself up, put on a mask of indifference and stalked out of the compartment.

He could hear Rose chastising her cousin, 'Al! You stupid _git_!'

'What?! He is a Malfoy!'

'And what does it matter?'

'Are you _insane_ Rosie?! He is practically The Enemy!'

That's when the compartment door slid shut.

* * *

Rose had been fuming throughout the journey. Just like Albus to ruin everything. She was sure the Malfoy kid would be looked upon with prejudice and shunned. That's why she wanted to make friends with him. To show him her support. But trust her cousin to spoil her plans. She had hexed and cursed him into a pulp about a hundred times in her mind. Her object of discontent was currently huddled in a corner, giving her guilty furtive looks (oh yes, she could feel them), after being treated to one of her famous Weasley tempers.

The train screeched to a halt. Students scurried past in their haste to get a glimpse of the castle. First years were being rounded up by the prefects to be led towards the boats that would carry them across the Great Lake to the castle. Rose and Albus followed the throng till they reached the edge of the lake. There was a collective gasp. The castle loomed over the lake. Light was pouring out of the numerous windows creating an ethereal image.

Students were climbing into the tiny boats. 'Yeh kids alrigh'?' asked a grey-haired and slightly bent Hagrid. Rose and Albus grinned and waved at the gamekeeper before climbing into one. Hagrid , checking for straggling first years, found a lone boy standing.

'Firs' year, boy?' asked Hagrid. The boy nodded.

'Yer the Malfoy kid, aren't yeh?'

Another stiff nod.

'Well, I think that boat is not full. Climb aboar',' said Hagrid, pointing to the boat occupied by Rose and Albus. Albus groaned. Rose gave his leg a sharp kick. Once Scorpius was seated Rose smiled at him tentatively. Albus was pointedly ignoring him. Scorpius ignored her and turned his neck to look at anything but his fellow occupants. He had been insulted, made fun of, threatened throughout the journey to Hogwarts. He had had enough. He had resolved to keep to himself and do well in his studies. 'Don't make any unnecessary enemies, keep your head down and you will be alright' his father had said. That's what he would do.

'You'll get a crick in the neck if you continue to bend it in such an unnatural manner.'

Scorpius flushed scarlet. He blurted out, 'I'll be extremely obliged if you would kindly remove your nose out of other people's business.'

Many things happened at once. Rose gasped. Scorpius clapped a hand over his mouth in horror and Albus went overboard in his attempts to land a well deserved punch on his mouth. Even before Rose could recover from the shock and scream for help, Scorpius was out of his cloak and into the cold, chilly water, weaving his hands to capture any bit of the other boy's anatomy. He was almost out of breath and numb from the cold when he was pushed by a large tentacle into the swirl of clothes that was Albus. Thanking his stars Scorpius grasped as much cloth as he could find and beat his limbs till he broke the surface.

Large hands pulled them up and dumped them at the bottom of the boat. Albus was coughing and spluttering and Scorpius was gasping and clutching at a stitch at his side.

'What were yah thinkin'?!' roared Hagrid from somewhere to his right. 'Yeh wait till I tell 'fessor McGonagall.' He grumbled all the way to the castle, turning and glaring at the two from time to time from his own boat.

By the time they reached the castle, Rose was grinding her teeth at a shivering and subdued Albus and an equally shivering and stony-faced Scorpius. Serves them right, she thought. All around her, the other kids were goggling and muttering. Some were even rude enough to openly point at them.

'…how dare he…'

'…a Malfoy and all…'

'…which one?'

' the blonde over there...'

Rose was preparing to give them all a piece of her mind when the huge front door swung open. Hagrid pushed past them towards a severe looking aged witch. They talked together quietly for some time before he nodded his head and retreated inside the castle. The severe looking witch turned to them and said, 'Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year. I am Professor McGonagall. Please follow me inside.' She turned and led them to a small room.

Once everyone was assembled, she resumed, 'As you must be aware the Sorting ceremony is a very important tradition which signifies your inclusion in the school. Hogwarts has four houses—Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. You all must be sorted into one of these Houses (Rose could swear she heard Albus gulp). Once sorted, your House will be like a family to you. Doing well will earn you points for your House. Any mischief and you will lose points. The House with the most points at the end of the year will win the prestigious House Cup. And may I ask,' she added sharply, 'why you two are drenched to the skin?'

Every head swiveled to focus on Albus and Scorpius.

'We fell into the lake,' mumbled Albus.

'That someone has not cast a _meteolojinx_ curse on you two is quite obvious to me. What I want to know is why.'

Fixed under the severe scrutiny of Professor McGonagall, Albus quelled and muttered something that resembled 'mimblewimble'. That's when Rose came forward. She took a deep breath and said, 'Please Professor, he was trying to defend me.'

Professor McGonagall's eyebrows appeared to merge with her hairline. She glared at the three for a few moments before remarking, 'Dear dear. You two would land in detention even before the Sorting!'

Then she proceeded to arrange them into a single file and left them with strict instructions to smarten themselves up before being led into the legendary Great Hall.

Scorpius was scared. Moreover, he felt alienated. The other kids were so judgmental. They attacked him with threatening looks and snide remarks. And at the moment he resented everything. He hated his name. He hated his surname. He resented his family. He resented his fellow students and even the friendly girl, Rose. He hated the war for making him an outcaste.

He was lost in thoughts when he felt a cold hand poke his arm. He turned around to look at the face of Albus Potter. He scowled.

'Erm, I'm sorry I guess,' said Albus. He looked ashamed and was gazing at his feet. Scorpius hadn't realized he was holding his breath until he let it out with a whoosh.

'It's ok. And I'm sorry too for saying such abominable things to your cousin.'

'Yeah, you shouldn't have. Then I wouldn't have fallen into that damn lake. Brrr. It's cold.' Albus rubbed his arms. 'But you saved me from drowning. So that cancels it out.'

Scorpius nodded.

Albus extended his hand.'Albus Potter.'

'Scorpius Malfoy.'

'Friends?'

'Friends.'

They shook hands before turning to face the door. And for the first time since boarding the train, Scorpius allowed a tiny smile to light up his pale face.

The Sorting was a surprise. Some even considered it a total disaster. All because two students had been 'misplaced'. Rose Weasley had been sorted into Gryffindor as was expected. Many eyebrows were raised though when Albus Potter became a Ravenclaw. But the major shock came when Scorpius Malfoy got sorted into Gryffindor. Angry mutterings filled the air as soon as the Sorting Hat shouted out the result. Poor Scorpius turned paler at the intensity of the hostility aimed at him. He stumbled towards the Gryffindor table and tried to make himself as unobtrusive as possible.

Rose was secretly pleased with the judgment of the Sorting Hat. It not only showed that not all who came from dark wizarding families were necessarily dark at heart but also gave her the chance to befriend him and show that world that she did not hold grudges. She quietly got up and climbed in beside Scorpius. The Hall went deathly silent. She ignored them and turned to the boy. 'Don't let them bother you,' she said in a lowered voice, and added, 'Congratulations!'

Scorpius was trying hard not to panic and silently cursing his family for putting him in this position. He was paler if possible and kept twisting his robes with his sweaty fingers. When the Weasley girl had volunteered to sit beside him, he could only feel anger instead of gratitude. He didn't need anybody's sympathy. He was a Malfoy for Merlin's sake. Having made a resolve, he sat up straighter and clenched his jaws in defiance.

The Feast was a subdued affair for the Gryffindors. The tension was so solid you could cut it with a knife. The rest of the Houses were back to normal by the time food appeared. Once they were sufficiently fed, Professor McGonagall stood and welcomed the new students once again. Then she rattled off all the school rules and the places forbidden to students. When that was over she sent them off to bed.

* * *

'Filthy pureblood.'

'Spawn of the devil.'

'Scorpius!'

'Bloody snake.'

The name calling got worse as he climbed the stairs. I'm not going to react, I'm not going to react, he kept chanting under his breath.

'Why are you here?'

'Yeah. Go back to Slytherin…'

'Scorpius Malfoy!'

'…where you belong.'

'OI MALFOY!'

Scorpius finally turned around. Rose Weasley was hurrying to catch up. She huffed and puffed and finally stood before him clutching at her chest.

'I've been calling after you for so long. Are you _deaf_?'

'What do you want Weasley?'

'Oh! I'm just Weasley, am I?'

Scorpius glared at her. Rose glared back.

'What do you want?'

'Look. I don't know what I did to get such a cold treatment. But I want you to know that what happened in the Great Hall, it shouldn't have happened.'

'Yeah right,' he snorted.

'I mean it.'

'Sod off Weasley.'

'What's wrong with you?!' Rose yelled.

'I said SOD OFF! I don't want anyone's pity, least of all yours.' He turned and climbed through the portrait hole.

Rose looked stunned. But she quickly recovered, 'I'm not pitying you!' she said.

'Really?!' scoffed Scorpius, sarcasm dripping from each syllable. 'Could have fooled me.'

Rose nearly stamped her foot in frustration.

'Why is it easier to convince pigs than you?'

'Are you calling me pigheaded?!'

'Maybe I am.'

Scorpius's jaws dropped, before it settled into a dangerous sneer. 'Well, at least I have a thick skull instead of a large nose.'

'You didn't just call me nosey _again_!'

'Totally did.'

SLAP.

The common room went quiet. Many wands were trailed on Scorpius. But it was quite unnecessary. Because he would never hurt a girl (unless it was someone like her great aunt Bellatrix). Perhaps this inborn gallantry had landed him in Gryffindor in the first place, he thought ruefully.

Rose was watching him warily. Scorpius quirked an eyebrow, 'Are we done?'

'No!' she hissed. 'I'm _never_ going to try and be your friend again, Scorpius Malfoy!'

'Should I be worried?'

'Actually you should be,' quipped someone from the back. 'My sweet little cousin can be really nasty when she puts her mind to it.'

'Shut up James!' Rose's eyes flashed in anger. 'As for you, _Malfoy_ , you're going to curse the day you refused my friendship. I'm going to beat you in every subject and then some. You better watch out,' she uttered vehemently amidst wolf whistles and sounds of approval.

Scorpius smirked, 'Not a chance, Weasley. I never let others beat me at a competition, even if it is a girl.'

'Scared, Malfoy?' she sneered.

'You wish.'

They glared at each other before stomping back to their respective dorms.

And needless to say that was the beginning of a unique relationship between those two.

ooooooo

 _To be continued..._

 ** _Please review!_**


	2. Chapter 2 The Great Faceoff

10

'Hey Carrots!'

Not again. Rose rolled her eyes and continued down the Charms corridor.

'Carrots! _Weasley_!'

'What?' beat out Rose through clenched teeth.

'Oooo, aren't we the dazzling sunshine today!'

If looks could kill, Malfoy would have been a pile of ashes by now. In fact, Rose was rather proud of her 'death glare'. Helped ward off unnecessary attention. But Scorpius, being Scorpius, just sauntered upto her with a smirk plastered on his face.

'Trust me Malfoy, if this is about that blasted Transfiguration test once again, I swear I'd crumple your test paper and shove it up your…'

' _Language_ Weasley. Tsk tsk. You swear worse than a drunk Mundungus! And are you by any chance referring to the test where you came second, because I must tell…'

Scorpius never got to finish the sentence. Rose had launched herself at him and had proceeded to pummel every inch of his body she could lay her hands on.

'Hey! Watch it! OW! What thmmph…! GERROFF!

'If you THINK you can make FUN of ME every chance you GET, you've ANOTHER think coming, MISTER SCORPION! HYPERACTIVE! MALFOY!' each loudly uttered word was punctuated by a sharp punch.

'OUCH! What's wrong with you?!'

'YOU! You slimy git!'

'MISS WEASLEY!'

Rose froze with a hand clutching Malfoy's collar and the other one pulled back in a punch.

'Honestly…I never…you two…' spluttered Professor McGonagall looking angry and astonished. When she finally got over the shock she managed to utter through flared nostrils, 'Both. My office. NOW. And thirty points from Gryffindor.'

'What?! No! Professor, you can't!' they both exclaimed. But that was clearly the wrong thing to say.

Professor McGonagall seemed to swell in anger. 'Another thirty from Gryffindor,' she thundered. 'And be thankful it isn't more for the abominable behavior you two were displaying in the corridor. Now if you would kindly step into my office.' She whirled round and trod purposefully towards her office.

Rose had never seen Professor McGonagall so angry before. Her brows were fused to make a straight dark line and her lips had almost disappeared. They stepped inside and McGonagall snapped the door shut. Then her fury broke.

It was worse than the Howler her aunt had once sent to James. For one, the displeased person was present right in front of them. And two, they had no idea when it would end. Five minutes into the reprimand, Rose had tuned out the scolding and was contemplating numerous methods to murder Malfoy. Phrases like 'from my own House', 'no shame', 'fighting in broad daylight', 'absolute disregard for rules' floated to her ears but she didn't pay much attention. She was having a particularly gruesome Malfoy murder fantasy involving a rampaging hippogriff and a hot cauldron full of potion when she heard McGonagall say, 'You will be notified about the time and place of Friday's detention. You may go now.'

Detention! She had never had a single lost House point to her credit till this moment! And now she had detention. Great. Just great. And on Friday too. Wait, what?!

'But Professor,' she shrunk under McGonagall's stern gaze. 'You surely don't mean _this_ Friday?'

'Yes Miss Weasley. This Friday. That would teach you to think before acting rashly in the future.'

'B-b-but…'

'Enough, Miss Weasley. Leave, before I change my mind and decide to send a letter to your mother after all.'

Rose's face resembled the colour of her hair. She hurriedly left McGonagall's office along with Malfoy. They left their separate ways without glancing at each other.

Rose was stewing inside. She was ready to rip Malfoy's heart out. It was all _his_ fault. Not only had he beaten her at the Transfiguration test but also had the audacity to flaunt it at her every opportunity he got. Had he not riled her she would not have lost her cool and flown at him. And in turn, McGonagall wouldn't have found them fighting and deducted points and given them detention. On Friday. The day she was specifically reserving to complete her one foot long History of Magic article and the Potions essay AND the Astronomy chart.

Oh yes. She was going to Rip. His. Heart. Out.

With a rusty blade.

oooooo

Whenever in trouble, find Al. That was Scorpius's solution to any Rose-related problem. And this was a problem of enormous proportions. He hitched his satchel higher onto his back and set out to find his best friend.

Al and Scorpius had become almost inseparable within one year. The initial hostility had dissolved into a beautiful friendship that had left many envious. The Unexpected Duo, as the two came to be called, often studied together and were seen fooling around in each other's dormitories. Hagrid often loved to remark, 'These two ha' taken ta each other like Nifflers to galleons.'

Unfortunately Rose turned out to be a tougher nut to crack. Scorpius found himself constantly at loggerheads with her, which was not much of a surprise actually. Both were brilliant in studies. Both competed against each other for the top spot. To the point of being almost ruthless sometimes. And none took to being second in anything kindly. Moreover Scorpius always went out of his way to rile Rose. He felt it a complete waste of time if he had not had a verbal spur with her at least once each day.

For gone was the pale scared kid who needed 'rescuing'. Scorpius had grown into a very handsome boy and had developed a swagger and a smirk that could rival his father's. That, together with his courteous behavior, made a lethal combination. Girls could never resist his charm. Except for one. Rose. That brought his mind back to the present problem.

Al was busy poring over a huge Herbology book in the library when Scorpius arrived. He looked up eagerly when his best friend plonked down on a chair beside him.

'Well?'

Silence.

'Did you manage to get it?'

'It' was the Herbology essay he had sent Scorp to fetch from Rosie.

'No I did not,' ground out Scorpius. 'What I managed to get instead is _sixty_ points deducted from my _own_ bloody House AND a detention!'

Albus did a mental face-palm. Trust Scorp to bungle a simple task involving Rose.

'What did you do _this_ time?'

' _I_ didn't do _anything_ this time,' grumbled Scorp.

'What happened?!'

'There I was, merrily walking down the Charms corridor to ask her for her article, and the next thing I know, she is throwing a complete hissy fit and _jumping at my throat_. Honestly, that girl should be kept in a strait jacket if you ask me.'

'Are you sure that's how it happened?' countered Albus.

'Yeah!'

Albus raised one eyebrow.

'Well, I might have called her 'Carrots'.'

Albus groaned.

'And I _might_ have mentioned the Transfiguration test. Though she raised the topic first,' Scorp added quickly in defence.

Albus did an actual face-palm this time. 'Scorp! You idiot! You know she doesn't like your so-called affectionate nickname. And you just had to mention that test!'

Scorpius had the good sense to look sheepish.

'Sorry.'

Albus slammed his book shut earning him many disapproving stares from neighbouring seventh years.

'Don't apologize to me you idiot. Find Rosie and apologize to her.' He added as an advice, 'And leave your 'Malfoy' pride behind when you do. I have a very strong suspicion it would take a serious beating if you take it along.'

He started dumping all his books and spare parchments into his bulging satchel. Then he dragged his ink-stained fingers through his unruly hair. 'Why do you tease her so mercilessly though?' he turned to Scorp.

Scorpius shrugged. He didn't know either. Albus gave him a queer look before shaking his head. 'Anyway, let's get down to the Great Hall. I'm starving.'

They walked out of the library, Scorpius telling Al every detail, right down to what had passed in McGonagall's office. They were approaching the stairs when Albus remarked, 'You know, you should be more worried about this detention.'

'Why?!'

'I heard Dad say that once he and Professor Longbottom and Aunt Hermione had to go into the Dark Forest for their detention. McGonagall had caught them sneaking into Hagrid's place in the evening! Wait! Your dad was there too!' he turned to Scorpius surprised. 'Didn't your dad ever tell you the story?'

Scorpius shook his head. 'He doesn't tell me much about his student life. Not much happy memories I suppose.'

'Hmm. Anyway dad said it was a horrible experience. He had gone deep into the forest to look for an injured Unicorn when he came upon Voldemort drinking its blood!'

'B-b-but that's dangerous!'

'It was. But thanks to Professor Firenze, he got out alive. Dad says he never looked at the Dark Forest in the same way again.'

'Dost mine ears deceive me? Are you two wee little things planning to go into the Dark Forest?' Henry Finnegan enquired from somewhere behind them.

Albus scoffed, ' Please. We were just discussing the possibilities of the Dark Forest being a suitable place for detention.'

'Detention? Did someone say detention?' James Potter had joined the group. James and Henry were fast friends like Al and Scorp. They were two years senior to the Duo and were registered mischief-makers. They were rumoured to have befriended Peeves, the poltergeist who was a nuisance himself. Both were Gryffindors.

'So…,' said James, slinging an arm over Al's shoulders, 'Who got detention, little brother? Did you do something prodigiously horrible to make me proud?'

'Shut up James,' he replied between Henry's sniggers. 'As to your enquiry, no I didn't. It's Scorpius.'

James did a double take. 'You!' he said in mock horror. His face split into a mischievous smile. 'Welcome to the club mate,' he said, adding in an accurate imitation of Professor Trelawney, 'You, my boy, are in grave danger.'

Henry was doubled over in laughter. Albus and Scorpius exchanged quizzical looks.

'What's so funny?' asked Scorpius.

'No-nothing,' gasped Henry.

They went down to the Great Hall together and piled their plates with food. Al and Scorpius sat a little way removed from the two seniors. Al had his nose buried in his History of Magic textbook as usual, while he continued looking around. The senior's behavior was irritating him. They were looking at him from time to time and sniggering constantly. He scowled.

When their behavior started getting on his nerves, they approached and James said, 'Good luck to your detention. And hope you have had a robust lunch, Malfoy.'

'And why is that?'

'Because we are betting you won't be eating anything anytime soon,' supplied Henry.

Scorpius eyed the two suspiciously. 'Did you put something in my food?'

'You wound us Malfoy,' said James, pulling a hurt face.

'No,' Finnegan rejoined, 'We just heard…'

'That Filch is…'

'Planning to make the next student who gets detention…' they gave each other devilish grins.

'Planning to make him do what?' enquired Albus, sipping his pumpkin juice.

'Scrub the bedpans in the Hospital wing. Without magic!'

Albus spewed pumpkin juice everywhere. Scorpius gagged on his mouthful before pushing away his plate. His stomach roiled. The seniors left them amidst gales of laughter.

'You know,' remarked Albus, wiping away pumpkin juice from his textbook, 'You shouldn't take everything my wonderful brother says seriously. I bet he wanted to have some laugh, that's all.'

Scorpius still looked revolted.

oooooo


	3. Chapter 3 The Surprising Detention

16

Friday morning arrived bright and cheerful. The weather was excellent for lolling around by the Great Lake with a book. Rose's mood darkened steadily as she pondered about how much homework she could have finished if she hadn't had that blasted detention. Besides, she was having a bad hair day. She could easily have inherited her mom's brown hair colour and the manageable wavy tresses from the Weasleys. But no. She just _had_ to inherit the vividest shade of ginger from the Weasley clan _and_ her mother's bushy hair that was tightly curled at its best. Today she resembled a lion, with a ginger mane. And judging by the wary looks her dorm-mates were giving her, she was acting like one too.

She gathered her unruly tresses in a messy ponytail and dragged herself down to breakfast. Most people had left the hall. Some were still lingering near the Entrance Hall, chatting in small groups. Others were hurrying away to prepare for the first lesson of the day. Her classmates were nowhere in sight. Rose couldn't blame them. One year with her had taught them to steer clear of her when she was in one of her moods.

She piled her plate with toast and scrambled eggs along with a cup of black coffee and sat down at her House table.

It was occupied by a lone figure. A blonde.

For Godric's sake, couldn't that boy just disappear and leave her in peace? As soon as he notices me, thought Rose, he would come over to pester. She often fantasized him as a pesky fly that she would quickly squish between the pages of a book. If only she could do it in real life too. She fumed to herself before casting him another glance.

But for once the swagger was absent. Malfoy was fiddling with his sandwich but not eating anything. He looked extremely subdued and on closer scrutiny, he also seemed slightly nauseated. Feeling marginally better, she finished her breakfast and went up to pack her satchel.

The first lesson was Herbology. Today, they would be studying the characteristics of the Warty Cactus, scientifically known as _Mimbulus mimbletonia_. Professor Longbottom had set thema foot-long essay, listing all the characteristics and uses of the plant, which was due today. Rose had already finished writing the essay long ago since Herbology was easily her favourite subject.

She rolled up the parchment carefully, slung her bag onto her shoulders and set off for Green House Two. She was almost at the door when she heard someone call her name and looked back. Albus, closely followed by Malfoy, was striding towards her. She sighed wearily.

'How is my favourite cousin today?' he grinned.

'As well as can be expected,' huffed Rose. 'But if it's solely to ascertain my wellbeing that you came, I must warn you that I'm running late.'

Al smirked. He really shouldn't mix with that Malfoy, frowned Rose. He was starting to rub off on her cousin.

'You _know_ you are not, Rosie. Besides you happen to be Professor Longbottom's favourite student. He wouldn't doff off points from you for being late.'

'What do you want Al?' asked Rose, rolling her eyes.

'Could I have a look at your Herbology essay, coz?'

'Absolutely not. Why don't you ask your _best friend_ to let him show you his essay?'

'C'mon Rosie. You know you're the best in Herbology. Please,' pleaded Al, making puppy-eyes.

Rose tried very hard to stay unmoved but the cunningly placed flattery proved very effective. She soon found her defences crumbling.

'Why didn't they place you in Slytherin?' she grumbled, as she drew out her neatly written essay.

'Oh the Sorting Hat tried to. But I refused.' Albus smirked again as he went through the article quickly. Then he handed it over and gave her a one-armed hug. As he went back to join his friend, Rose noticed him jerk his head at Malfoy and send a look that said 'See?'. Malfoy , in turn, shrugged. Rose narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Those two were definitely upto something.

The three separated inside the Green House. Albus and Malfoy went to a corner seat at the back, while Rose sat down with her close friend Amanda at the front.

The day was rather uneventful, much to Rose's surprise. She had earned twenty points for her remarkable essay (as Professor Longbottom put it), and she had managed to do rather well in the Transfiguration class. By lunchtime she was feeling nearly as normal as any girl facing her first detention was supposed to feel. Malfoy was nowhere to be found, which was another plus point. Rose caught herself pondering at his strange behavior lately before mentally slapping her own self. Arrggghh! That boy. He managed to disturb her without even being present bodily.

There were no classes after lunch. So she climbed back to her dormitory to take a short nap. That's where her friend Amanda found her when she went to deliver a message.

'Hey Rose! Professor McGonagall sent me to deliver this to you,' she said handing Rose a rolled up missive.

Rose quickly unrolled it and read-

 _Miss Weasley,_

 _You are to present yourself to Madam Pince at the library at five o'clock sharp for you detention. You are also to NOT take your wand along. The task is to be done without magic._

 _Professor McGonagall_.

The library! Rose almost laughed out loud in relief. There could be no better detention than spending one's time around books, even without wands. She rolled over and went to sleep.

At about five minutes to five she started for the library. It didn't take her long to notice a familiar blonde head bobbing in front of her. Malfoy, she groaned inwardly. Of course, how could she have forgotten! Both of them had received detention. But she had expected him to serve his detention in some other place. Like polishing the thousands of trophies and shields in the Trophy Room or sorting out tuberworms in the stifling green houses. Would have been apt for that fathead, she thought bitterly. But life is not always fair. Suddenly the prospect of serving detention at the library didn't feel so appealing.

Madam Pince was busy dusting some ancient tome when the duo approached her. She looked at them through dust-covered pince-nez and croaked, 'The library is closed. Come back on Monday.'

Rose looked at Malfoy who wore a rather amused expression. She cleared her throat and said, 'Actually we are here for the detention, ma'am.'

Madam Pince readjusted her pince-nez and peered at them before nodding, 'Very well. You two go to the locked room beside the Restricted Section. Your task is to dust and rearrange the scattered books on the shelves in an alphabetical order. Mind you,' she added menacingly, 'If I find any harm done to my precious books, I shall make sure that you two don't get ANY reference material from the library. Ever.'

Rose and Scorpius exchanged horrified looks before shaking their heads vigorously.

Satisfied with their response, Madam Pince handed them a rusty key and returned to her dusting.

They hurried to the locked room. The old lock protested much under pressure before opening with a groan. Dust and cobwebs greeted them promptly making them sneeze and collapse into coughing fits. Eyes watering, they took in the scene.

Books lay everywhere in this moderately large room—huge leather-covered ones that could easily double up as small coffee-tables, tiny silk-bound ones that were hardly bigger that Muggle match-boxes, books coming out of their torn covers, others bound with thick strings! A thick layer of dust covered every surface and cobwebs stretched from shelf to shelf. It was a nightmare-come-true for any cleanliness freak.

'Why do you think Madam Pince neglected this room?!' asked Rose in surprise, forgetting to be annoyed with her detention partner.

Scorpius shrugged. 'Maybe she is a Squib too. I heard Filch is a Squib and he has a thing for her.'

'She is NOT a Squib, you idiot,' replied Rose. 'You would have noticed her levitate books to return them to their shelves, if you hadn't been busy being a git all the time.'

'Yeah right.'

Rose looked around once more before saying, 'You wait here. I'm going to fetch some feather dusters, a broom and a bucket. Be right back.'

Scorpius settled down on a pile of books to wait for her. He had heaved a huge sigh of relief when he had got McGonagall's missive. That prat James. He hadn't been able to eat a single bite since hearing that disgusting bit of information. His stomach growled in protest. To divert his mind, he began to whistle a merry tune. He was getting fidgety and impatient when he heard Madam Pince's shocked croak, 'How dare you sit on my precious books?!' He froze. 'you defile these sacred tomes by daring to plant your pretty blonde posterior onto their sacred surface!' Pince continued.

Wait, what?! Scorpius turned around sharply, only to find Rose doubled over in silent laughter, clutching at a broom for support.

'Merlin's beard! That was you all along!'

'Yeah, i-it was m-me,' stuttered Rose between gleeful chuckles.

'You gave me such a fright. For a moment there I honestly thought it was Pince reprimanding me!'

'What gave me away?'

'My 'pretty blonde posterior',' snorted Malfoy.

Rose sniggered as she handed him the broom and a bucket. 'Serves you right for landing us both in detention.'

'Excuse me!'

'You are excused.'

Scorpius glowered at her back. 'If I remember correctly, it was not me who suddenly turned into an angry, hissing cat and flew at the other person's throat without warning!'

Rose whirled around, eyes blazing. 'And if _I_ remember correctly, it was definitely not me who waved his unfairly obtained Transfiguration marks at every person he could find.'

'Hey! It was NOT unfairly obtained!'

'Neither were my Defense Against the Dark Arts marks. But you still told anyone who would listen that it was unfairly gotten!'

'I was kidding, alright. I knew no one would believe me.'

'I DON'T CARE WHAT OTHERS CHOOSE TO BELIEVE! BUT YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY SUCH THINGS, _MALFOY_!'

'Stop making a scene or we would land in more detention,' hissed Malfoy. 'As for waving those Transfiguration paper at you, I did it to get a response from you. You had suddenly got quiet and inattentive at class. I never pegged you as someone who couldn't handle defeat gracefully.'

'Yes I can!'

'Well then prove it. Stop behaving like a petulant child and get over it.'

'Only if you stop being a pompous prat around me,' she beat out, with her hands on her hips.

'Touché Weasley.'

'So…,' he said looking around, 'Where do you suggest we start?'

Rose's bossing nature took over. 'First we need to clear a space to sit in the room. Then we can move to dusting and rearranging.'

Back to normal, thought Scorpius grinning.

They started with clearing a path to the middle of the room. By the time they reached the middle, they were coated in dust from head to foot. Rose swept the small space they had managed to clear before settling down to sort the books according to subject.

They worked steadily through a huge pile of books, dusting and stowing them away on the shelves. This is a really boring work, thought Scorpius. He was busy dusting a rather heavy volume and feeling slightly drowsy when—

' _Eek!_ '

He promptly dropped _Aryabhatt and His Influence on Modern Astronomy_ on his big toe. Muttering obscenities under his breath he shoved it back onto the shelf before turning around. 'What happened?'

'I-I think I stepped on a mouse, or something squishy!'

The area was searched, but whatever it was, had scurried back to its hidey-hole. Scorpius sent her a highly amused look as Rose let out her breath in relief.

'Didn't know you were scared of mice!'

'I'm not scared of mice! I was just…startled.'

'You seem to a rather large number of startling experiences lately, what with the Transfiguration…'

'Malfoy, if you don't wish to end up as a permanent resident of St. Mungo's, you'd better not complete that sentence.'

'Alright, alright,' he held up his hands. 'No leg-pulling.'

They returned to their task with renewed vigour. They had reached the alphabet 'H' when Rose gave an audible gasp. Scorpius bumped his head on a shelf in his haste to look up. 'Now what?' he asked in an irritated tone, rubbing his head.

'These are really rare and valuable books,' she said, carefully turning the pages of a fragile and stained tome. 'I wonder why she never bothered to take care of these books!'

'Probably terrified of mice,' Scorpius snorted.

'Don't be daft. Didn't you hear me say she can do magic! She could have easily blasted them away with a spell or something.'

'What?!' he gave Rose a mock horrified look. 'And accidentally harm my precious books?!' he mimicked Madam Pince. He cradled a book in his arms in the manner of holding a newborn babe and crooned to it, 'Don't worry, my precious. Mommy won't let anyone harm a single page of yours.' Then he rocked it a little and bent down to kiss it tenderly before putting it back in its shelf.

Rose was trying very hard not to laugh but his antics were turning out to be too hilarious. As he turned back, they looked at each other and burst into guffaws. They rolled about in the dust, clutching at their stomach and gasping for breath. Finally when they could control themselves, they sat up.

'You're right,' said Rose, wiping away tears of mirth. 'She probably sings them a lullaby each night before locking up.' She caught Malfoy's eye and promptly burst into another laughing fit as he chuckled.

The tension between them seemed to have lessened considerably. Rose could feel her resentment towards Malfoy dissolving bit by bit. He was not a bad companion to serve detention with, come to think of it. Perhaps they could be friends someday…

'Hey Carrots!'

…then again, perhaps not.

Scorpius was thinking along almost the same lines. Rose was not a bad person to hang out with. In fact, take away her temper and she was actually quite amusing. Much like Albus. But she was a force to reckon with once she was riled up. Why do I like to rile her up anyway, thought Scorp.

'Hey Carrots!' He could feel the holes she was making on the back of his head with her glower.

He turned around to find her standing with her arms crossed over her chest.

'Didn't you hear me?'

'No! You were saying the name of some vegetable. And since I'm not one,' she shrugged.

'Are you sure you are not?'

Rose snatched up a book, ready to chuck it at him.

'Hey! Hey! Careful. If anything happens to these books, Pince would have my head!'

'Sounds all the more tempting,' she countered.

'Both our heads!'

'Still sounds tempting enough.'

Scorpius guffawed. 'My my. Aren't you one blood-thirsty wench!'

They had almost completed rearranging the books when Madam Pince informed them that their detention was over. Both heaved a huge sigh of relief, and quickly trotted off to stow away the cleansing equipments. Then they met at the entrance of the library. An awkward silence prevailed. What do you say to someone whom you hated all this time only to find that he or she is actually excellent company?

'Bye then. See you around,' Rose turned to go.

'Weasley, wait!'

She stared. Scorpius was clearly gathering up courage to say something and was getting flustered in the process.

'I'm sorry,' he mumbled at length.

'Pardon?!' Rose couldn't hide her astonishment.

'I said I'm sorry.' A bit louder this time.

'What for?!'

Scorpius shuffled his feet. 'For everything I suppose.'

'I'm still in the dark. Mind casting some light?'

He huffed out an exasperatedly and said, 'Look. I know I've been a complete jerk since we met in first year. I've tried my hardest to make your life miserable ever since you threw me that challenge…'

'What challenge?' Rose mentally admitted that she truly liked watching a flustered Malfoy.

'The challenge about being best in studies. You were always better than me. And I knew it. So I always took pleasure whenever I bested you in something. I'm sorry.'

'And what about making fun of me every opportunity you got?'

'Yeah that as well,' he mumbled, turning pink.

'And doing a victory dance in front of me every time you got an answer right,' supplied Rose.

'That too.'

'And shoving your Transfiguration test paper under my nose any chance you got.'

Scorpius nodded.

'And strutting around like a poppy-cock.'

'Hey! I don't strut,' he looked indignant.

Rose sniggered. 'Whatever. Please go on.'

Scorpius frowned at her before continuing, 'Well I'm trying to apologize for being a nuisance basically. And specially for irritating you with that test score. Though it was done for a good purpose,' he added as an afterthought.

'Hmmm,' Rose nodded her head thoughtfully. 'What brought about this astonishing realization?'

Malfoy looked even more uncomfortable if possible. He kept looking everywhere except at her. 'I realized you were actually not like the others when we were working together in the library. You don't judge people by their ancestory. I must have been deaf and blind not have seen that in the first year itself.'

'Yes you were. You know I felt really hurt when you rejected my support on the first day at Hogwarts.'

'I'm so sorry.'

Rose nodded her head gravely. That seemed to reassure Malfoy. He released the pent up breath he was holding unawares. As if he was expecting a slap or worse, ridicule.

'So…am I forgiven?' he asked tentatively.

'Not yet.'

He deflated a little.

'You promise never to irritate me again?'

'I promise.'

'Or to make fun of me in front of the others?'

'Yes.'

'Shake hands on it.' They shook hands.

As they started walking, Scorpius ventured, 'But I won't give up competeing.'

'Won't have it any other way.'

'Really?! I thought we could be friends!'

'You know Malfoy,' mused Rose, walking at a brisk pace, 'Sometimes you take the Muggle phrase 'as dumb as a blonde' to newer heights.'

'Meaning?' said Malfoy, hurrying to keep up.

'Meaning we could be friends and still be enemies. Friendly rivals. Got it?'

'Oh! Yeah. Right.'

And almost without realizing, they had forged a friendship based on mutual rivalry that evening. As the newly made 'frenemies' walked side-by-side in silence, Scorpius suddenly said, 'Hey Carrots! Can I have a look at your Herbology essay?'

'No.'

'Oooh…competition?'

'No. Because you broke the promise you just made.'

'Hey! I didn't promise not to call you Carrots!'

'Yes but you promised never to irritate me. And that name does.'

'But,' Scorpius argued, 'what if you suddenly decide that my breathing irritates you? Am I supposed to stop breathing?'

Rose narrowed her eyes. Scorpius smirked.

'Fine!' she beat out, 'but then I get to call you Snowy.'

She skipped back to her dormitory, leaving a spluttering Malfoy behind.


	4. Chapter 4 Bets and Broomsticks

_**A/N Hello, fellow wizards! Thank you for your continued support. Here's another chapter. Do enjoy. And don't forget to review!**_

* * *

The summer was finally over. It was not such a bad vacation, though the constant stream of visiting Weasleys could be rather daunting sometimes. Albus and James had been keeping her company, pulling pranks on Hugo, playing two-a-team Quidditch and diminishing Grandma Weasley's supply of chocolate chip cookies.

Al had grown during the vacation. He had shot up a couple of inches and stood a head taller than her now. His voice had cracked too. Rose herself had changed. Her face had lost all the baby fat and now looked toned and more womanly. If only her hair would change into something manageable too.

Rose took a last look at the mirror, shut her trunk with a snap and dragged it down the stairs. Mom was shouting. Sounded like Hugo had once again managed to set off a few dungbombs near Crooshanks. He had presently taken refuge on top of the kitchen sink and refused to budge from the unwashed dishes.

Mom was glowering at Hugo when Rose arrived at the kitchen. 'Trunks not packed yet, and all this nonsense!' she was muttering angrily, while Dad sat at the table, jiggling the car keys.

Hugo would be starting school this year. Two years younger than Rose, he was already showing traits of a top class prankster. 'And why not,' thought Rose, 'as he considered James to be his role model!'

'Are you packed darling?' asked her dad.

'Yes Daddy.' She went and kissed Ron on the cheek and grabbed a sandwich.

'Sweet Merlin 'Mione! I swear our Rosie has grown up. Time to start worrying about guy issues, eh Rosie?'

'Dad!'

'Ron!'

Both the ladies exclaimed at the same time. Hugo was starting to snigger but quickly turned his attention to the sandwiches at a quelling look from his mother.

Half an hour later, after much scolding from Mom and grumbling from Hugo, the car stuffed with two trunks instead of one, they were on their way. Rose was already looking forward to this term. She could hardly wait to get to the Quidditch ground and try out her brand new _Trailblazer_ _140._ Shehad received it as a gift on her thirteenth birthday from Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny. It felt like Christmas had come early.

Mom and Dad were bickering in the front seat.

'C'mon 'Mione. Just a little.'

'No Ron!'

'It won't hurt. Nobody will know!' whined Dad. Rose sniggered silently.

'You are in a Muggle street, driving a Muggle car. Anybody would notice if a sedan turns into a sports car right in front of their eyes. And for Godric's sake, stop whining like a child!'

Dad continued to swear quietly as he drove along the relatively deserted streets and shops. Muggles walked past, busy with their cell-phones, others drove cars similar to theirs, though Rose strongly doubted they had seats as big as the Weasleys'. Another four persons would have easily fit into the back seat.

It was fifteen minutes to 11o'clock and they were running late. And to top that they were caught in a traffic snarl. Dad cast a hopeful glance at Mom.

'We are running late, dear. May be just a little?'

'Ok ok. Fine. But let's just stick to jumping to the front of the line.'

'You're the best,' said Dad, leaning towards Mom.

'Eww! Mom, Dad! Get a roommmph!

Rose elbowed Hugo in the stomach, chuckling with her parents. She liked it when they were in such an affectionate mood. She turned to the window, watching the buildings rush by, and heaved a sigh. Would she be as lucky?

'Honey, we've arrived,' informed her mother after about ten minutes. Rose took a deep breath and stepped out. This was it. She was going home again.

* * *

The steam from the engine had obscured almost everything. Scorpius could hardly make out the bobbing heads of the numerous fellow students passing him on their way to the Hogwarts Express. He looked at the wall-clock for the dozenth time. Five minutes to spare and still no sign of Al. No redhead either. They were late.

An unexpected thump on his back nearly sent him toppling.

'Hey Malfoy! How's it going?' James Potter yelled into his ears.

Scorpius rolled his eyes before turning, 'It was going great till you showed up.'

'Aww, you wound me Snowy…'

'Shut up!'

James sniggerd.

'Where's Al?' asked Scorpius.

'Still getting smothered by Mum. I escaped somehow,' James said, making a disgusted face.

Just then a redhead caught his eyes. His heart gave a curious thump. Two more redheads appeared. But his eyes were riveted towards the girl walking at the front. Rose had grown up. She looked…different. Somehow Scorpius could not associate this glorious curly haired girl with the 'Carrots' of his memory. She approached him.

'Hey Snowy! How was vacation?'

'Shut up, Carrots!' Scorp grinned.

'Oh! You've grown up. You _sound_ grown up!'

'Look who's talking. I see a lady before me. Where is little Carrots? Eh?'

For the first time Rose blushed at his words in pleasure. Then she broke into a tinkling laugh. Scorpius sucked in a sharp breath.

'What happened to the old irritating Malfoy?! 'Cause that's the first time you complimented me!'

'I was not complimenting. Complaining more like.'

Rose punched him hard on the arm. He laughed out loud, rubbing his arm. There was the Rose he remembered. Fiery and sharp-witted. Not the graceful girl from a few minutes ago.

Rose shoved him and said, 'Shut up and help me with the trunk.' Then she got into the compartment and went to find seats, leaving him dragging the more than usually heavy trunk behind him.

'Need any help with that?'

Scorpius turned around to find Al standing and grinning toothily.

'Where have you been?! I thought you had decided to skip school this year!'

Al snorted, 'And I missed you too.'

'No honestly man. Where have you been?'

'Just talking to dad about the new broom. I have dropped big hints about what I would like as a Christmas gift this time,' he winked.

'Oh c'mon. Not the _Trailblazer 140_?!' Scorp asked, as they hefted Rose's trunk onto the train.

'Yep.'

Scorp shook his head slowly. 'I wish I could ask my dad too. But…'

Al put his arms around his shoulders. He was the only friend who understood why Scorp had left the sentence hanging.

'Hey. You can always ride Rosie's broom. She got one of those. As a birthday present. From her uncle and aunt. Can you imagine that?!' Al shook his head disbelievingly.

Scorp gasped. 'You mean _the broom_?!'

'Yes.'

They looked at each other and slowly their lips curled into mischievous smirks.

'Are you thinking what I'm thinking?'

'Ohh yes…'

They both turned towards the compartment and yelled, 'Hey Rosie!'

'What!'

'Can we ride your broom?'

'No.'

* * *

Brooms were the farthest thing from Rose's mind when she woke up next morning. Subjects to choose. Routines to make. Professors to consult. She was a nervous wreck. Her entire career depended on what she chose today. The counseling was to commence immediately after the breakfast in the respective House Head's office. She swung her satchel onto one shoulder and dragged her tired feet to the Great Hall. Al and Malfoy were sharing notes and talking animatedly over breakfast. She ignored her House table and made a beeline for them.

''Morning boys,' she said, stifling a yawn with her hand.

'Hey coz. Nice of you to drop in. Guess you couldn't sleep last night?'

She chose to ignore the enquiry. 'So…' she sat down and pulled Al's plate towards her, 'have you guys chosen which subjects you'd study? 'Cause classes start tomorrow.'

'Have you already?!' Malfoy asked.

'Actually I'm very confused.'

'That explains the sleepless night,' murmured Malfoy.

She put down her half-eaten toast and pulled out a list. 'Here. Hold this,' she thrust a list onto Al's hands. Malfoy peered over his shoulders.

'There are hardly any subjects left out!'

'I know. But all of them sound interesting.'

'Seriously Weasley?! Muggle Studies?!'

'What! Mom told me it was interesting to study Muggles from the wizarding perspective…'

Scorpius scoffed. 'Yeah right.'

'And how exactly do you propose to attend all the classes?' Al added, agreeing with Malfoy. 'You know they won't be able to provide you with a time-turner.'

'I know,' replied Rose, heaving a sigh. 'Mom told me how they were all destroyed when they fought the Death-Eaters in the Ministry.'

'Really?! She discussed this with you?! What happened? I mean the details,' Scorpius leant towards her in his eagerness.

'Stop drooling Scorp,' Al sniggered. 'It's no big deal.'

'No big deal?! Do you realize they were only two years older than us when they took on the entire—' Malfoy came to a sudden stuttering halt and turned pale. A very awkward pause ensued. His grandfather was among the death eaters that had attacked them and killed Sirius Black.

He cleared his throat and grabbed his satchel, 'See you at the counseling,' he mumbled, walking off hurriedly.

Rose watched him dash past their house table, hardly acknowledging his friends. She turned to Al.

'Why does he behave like that every time his family is mentioned? I mean we all know he is not made of the same stuff as his grandfather.'

'It's his problem to deal. We mustn't pry.'

'You bet I would! Look at him. He is your friend, Al. Help him,' she pleaded.

Al quirked a brow. 'What is this? Why are you suddenly so concerned about him? Or do you want to tell me that you have decided to start an organization helping grieving war victims? Home for Emotionally Lame People. H-E-L-P!'

'You are a bigger git than I realized.'

'You know I am not. Trust me Rosie. Don't go meddling into things you don't know anything about. You might not like the outcome. I am speaking from experience,' Albus slung the satchel onto his back and trudged off, whistling.

Boys, she muttered. You can never understand them. And they say girls are complicated.

She stuffed the last crumbs of toast into her mouth, dusted her hands and shuffled towards the Gryffindor common room. She was so engrossed in thought that she failed to notice a crowd gathered around the notice-board till she smacked into someone's back. Apologizing profusely she looked up. Some new notice had appeared. She pushed past the others and stood before the notice-board.

 **QUIDDITCH TRIALS!**

Interested students are

requested to submit their names to

the team captain

or

the Head of the House

by five o'clock.

Trials begin at three-thirty sharp

next Friday.

Great. Just great. One more thing to worry about.

oooooo

Scorpius sat at the edge of the lake, flinging pebbles into the smooth surface of the water and watching the ripples distort his reflection. He needed some time away from the chaos of the castle. Somewhere quiet. Somewhere nobody would find him. He needed to gather his scattered thoughts. The entire day had gone in such a blur, he hadn't had time enough to catch his breath. He flung another pebble into the water. He had chosen random subjects without giving any thoughts. Ancient runes, Arithmency, Astrology…he had forgotten the rest.

Plonk.

But what did it matter anyway? He would still be Lucius Malfoy's grandson…

Plonk.

…no matter how hard he studied and how brilliantly he performed…

Plonk.

…no matter what he achieved…

Plonk.

…he'd always be branded as the child of a Death-eater…

Plink.

…judged and alienated wherever he went, whatever he did…

Plonk.

… and it was bloody unfair!

Plonk. Plonk. Plonk.

He wiped his nose discreetly on his sleeves. A sudden rustling caught his attention. He stiffened.

'Hey.'

Rose Weasley.

He pasted a smirk on his face and turned around.

'Don't tell me you've come here to pity me?'

'No.'

'Then why are you here? I'm not good company right now.'

Rose sat down beside him. 'Actually I needed some time alone.'

'Then perhaps I'm intruding,' Scorpius made to get up.

'No no. Stay. You're not intruding.'

They sat together in silence. Scorpius kept stealing quick glances through the corner of his eyes. Rose sighed deeply. 'Here,' he suddenly offered the pebbles, 'Throw them into the water. It helps clear your mind.'

Some time passed. Then Scorpius broke the silence once again, 'So… what is the matter?'

'I can't take all this pressure. Feels like my head is going to split open.'

'Judging that it's your head we are talking about, I'm actually surprised it's still in one piece,' Scorpius smirked.

'Hmmmph.'

'What! No biting retorts?! Have I finally managed to wear you down?'

Rose pulled her legs close and rested her chin on her knees. 'I'm too tired.'

Scorpius frowned, 'Are you alright? Should I go away?'

'No. I'm fine. I just…' she shook her head, 'I don't know what I'm supposed to do! All my life I've been trying to achieve something, but there is always someone who had done it before me…' she trailed of, gazing into the distance.

'Like?'

'Like getting top marks in every subject. But apparently my mother had been good too.'

'So you decide to master all the subjects?! That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard!'

'No it's not!'

'Yes it is. Tell me exactly why you would do that.'

'Because I want to move out of her shadow. I want to make a name for myself. I don't want to be recognized only as the daughter of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. I want to be…' she struggled to find words. 'You won't understand,' she finished lamely.

'Won't I?'

Rose looked up, surprised. Malfoy had a dangerous gleam in his eyes. He spoke again, low and vicious, 'Do you think I haven't faced the same problems? That people fail to see me as just another person? All my life I have been cast about, ridiculed, judged and treated like a war criminal. No matter what I do, I can never outrun my tainted legacy. I was and always will be Lucius Malfoy's grandson.' He laughed derisively.

Rose was staring at him with wide eyes. She blinked.

Scorpius huffed out a sigh, 'You do not know half of being in someone's shadows.'

'We are similar in some ways then,' she said cautiously.

Scorpius took a deep, cleansing breath. ' I'm sorry for bursting out like that.'

'It's alright. Feeling better?'

'Actually yes!'

'Good.' They sat together in companionable silence, watching the clouds reflected on the glassy surface of the lake.

'Merlin's beard! I completely forgot the Quidditch trials!' exclaimed Rose all of a sudden, scrambling up.

'What?! Are they today?'

'Nope. Next Friday. But we need to submit our names to the Captain within five o'clock. And it's quarter to five already. You coming?'

Scorpius dusted his pants. 'Tell you what. Why don't you bring your broom to the ground?'

'I might.'

'You will?! Really?! Can I have a go at it?'

'Hmmm. I might consider the proposal if you ask nicely,' Rose gave him a devilish grin.

'May I have a ride, Miss Weasley? Please?'

Rose raised an eyebrow.

'Pretty please?'

Rose was trying really hard to keep a straight face but failing miserably.

'Pretty please with a red bow on top?' Scorpius batted his eyelashes.

Rose burst out laughing. 'Al-lright, you may,' she said, hiccupping. Scorpius gave a delighted whoop, as they walked towards the castle, discussing the features of her broom.

Behind a cluster of trees, Al shook his head ruefully. He should never have doubted Rose, he chastised himself. _There goes my five galleons, won nice and clean by Rosie_ , he mused as he walked towards the Quidditch ground, his hands buried deep in his pockets.

oooooo


	5. Chapter 5 Trials and a Tribute

_**So...here's another chapter after a long, long time. I hope you guys are not angry with me. Was caught up in the maelstrom of life and couldn't write. I also seemed to have lost the vibe. I do hope I can upload a few more chapter in the coming days. Till then, enjoy this small chapter and please DO NOT FORGET to leave reviews. 'Cause they do motivate me to write faster.**_

The broom flew like a dream. It turned at the slightest touch and could almost read Rose's thoughts. As she glided across the pitch without making the tiniest of sounds, she wondered whether it would be possible to try out for seeker, even though she lacked the quick reflexes of her legendary uncle Harry. The broom could be as silent as a mouse and swifter than its older models. It would help her to steal up to the snitch quicker than her opponent without alerting him or her. If only she could inherit Uncle Harry's flying instincts…

'Oi Weasley!'

She looked down to find Captain Zach making furious gestures at her. 'Come down here if you want to try out. You are distracting the others,' she yelled angrily.

'Right. Sorry Captain,' Rose turned the broom towards the stand. A crowd had gathered near the stadium. Captain Amelia Zach was talking animatedly to a group of eager second years on how to properly do a dive without sliding off the broom. Judging by the rapt attention of the group, she had managed to create quite a bit of fans already. Though that could also be due to the fact that she was uncommonly beautiful.

Rose strode upto the rest of the participants, slinging her broom on her shoulders. Scorpius had not yet arrived. Lazy git. She looked up at the stadium. Decorated in the four colours of the Houses, the Quidditch pitch never failed to awe. There was the scarlet of the Gryffindors, the yellow of the Hufflepuffs, the blue of the Ravenclaws and the green of the Slytherins. With its fluttering flags and pennons and the six majestic hoops rising up to touch the sky, the pitch had always managed to take her breath away.

Rose was turning in a slow circle to capture the entire scene when her eyes lit up on Al slowly walking towards her. She waved. He waved back.

'What are you doing here?' she asked, once Al was within hearing.

Al showed her a rather heavy Ancient Runes book, 'Thought of some light reading.'

'That's light?!'

'Besides,' he continued, ignoring her incredulous stare, 'I had promised Aunt Hermione I'd watch out for you. So here I am, making sure you don't injure yourself in this _dangerous_ game.' He winked.

'Sod off.' Rose harrumphed.

'Where's Scorp?'

'I was thinking of asking you the same question.'

'WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP!' yelled Captain Zach, 'and what is he doing here?'

'I-I wanted to watch the tryouts,' stammered Al under her suspicious eyes.

'He's my cousin.'

'He's not of our House.'

Both of them gulped. Captain Zach was as ruthless as a war general when it came to the game of Quidditch. She guarded her game strategies like a mother dragon guarding her eggs, and was suspicious of anyone from another House.

'He'll not disturb us, Captain Zach,' Rose assured her, leading Al away, 'would you, coz?'

He mumbled something about wanting all his limbs in working order.

Al settled in one of the raised seats of the stadium and promptly opened his book. There was still no sign of Scorp. Blast it. Where was he?

Just then she caught sight of a blonde head racing towards the gathering. She frowned as she walked back.

'Where have you been?!' she exclaimed, noting the crumpled and dusty clothes.

Scorp grinned, 'Hunting broomsticks.' Sure enough, there was an old _Firebolt_ slung on his shoulders.

'Where did you get that?!' Firebolts were rare, not something to be found in a school broom closet.

'If you know where to go,' Scorpius winked, once again turning to hear the captain.

'OK everyone,' Captain Zach called out, 'Listen up. We need a seeker, one beater and a keeper. The Chasers are good. So if any of you want to try out as a chaser, you'll only be kept as a spare. Is that clear to all?'

Everybody nodded.

'Ok then. Jonas and Prewett,' she said consulting her list, 'Up you go. And don't forget your clubs, for heaven's sake.'

The tryouts continued slowly.

'What are you trying out for?' Rose turned to Scorpius.

'Keeper. You?'

'Oh. I don't know,' she mumbled, 'Seeker maybe.'

'Really?! Brilliant!' Scorp grinned.

'I'm not so confident. What if I make a fool of myself?' Rose looked up at the various brooms zigzagging across the pitch.

'Of course you won't, silly!'

Scorp turned to her when she kept quiet, 'Listen Carrots. You are a better flyer than the most of them. It's in your blood. You just have to have faith in yourself. See?'

Rose only nodded and gulped audibly.

oooooo

Looking back, it did seem rather easy, thought Rose. She had indeed flown better than before. And to top that she had missed only one of the ten tryouts, that too because she had a sneeze coming at the exact moment she dove to catch the snitch.

Scorpius was brilliant though. He had a natural grace while airborne. It felt as if he was one with the broom. By the time they were done, Captain Zach as gushing about their new keeper and the rest of the girls were sighing dreamily.

'So…,' she smiled at Scorp, 'How does it feel to be the new keeper?'

Scorpius gave his signature smirk, 'Same as it feels to be the new seeker. I told you that you had it in you.'

'Yeah, you did,' she nodded.

'Oi you two!' they turned at the shout. Albus was huffing after them. They had clean forgotten about him in the excitement of the afternoon.

'Brilliant!' he shouted, once he caught up with them, 'Marvelous! Can't wait to play against you in the next match!'

'WHAT?!'

Al grinned sheepishly, 'Oops. I was strictly forbidden to—'

The rest of his explanation was drowned as he was wrestled to the ground by the two.

'You sly thing—'

'How could you—'

'We hadn't the foggiest—'

Fairly beaten and exhausted, the three sat up and grinned from ear to ear.

'What position are you in?' asked Rose.

'Ummm…well…'

'Albus Severus, if you value your limbs, you better tell us,' she glared as Scorpius snorted.

'Ok. Fine. I'm playing seeker too.'

'Yoohoo! Two seekers in the family!' Rose did a jig.

'Hush!' said Al, 'Do you want me to get kicked out of the team!? I was not supposed to tell you guys. Captain Menos wants it to be a secret.'

'Sorry.'

'Anyway,' said Scorpius, throwing an arm over Al's shoulder, 'Let's go celebrate our selection.'

'Yeah. Let's. We could go down to the kitchen and have a great time.'

'Wait a minute. You know where the kitchen is?!' Scorp looked at Al.

'Oh c'mon. It's no big secret,' said Rose, 'My Uncle George told us that all about the painting of a bowl of fruit. You just tickle the pear and the door appears.'

'I wish I could meet your Uncle George,' said Scorp wistfully.

Al and Rose exchanged amused looks. 'It's better we didn't know them in their youth. Mum says they were similar to James and Henry, only worse. Uncle Fred and George once turned an entire corridor into a swamp,' giggled Rose, 'Filch had to row students across it to go from class to class.'

'Couldn't the teachers do anything?'

'Oh they could,' said Al, 'But they didn't.'

'Why?!' Scorp could hardly contain his eagerness.

'Dad said that was their way to rebel against Dolores Umbridge. He says everybody hated her more than they hated Voldemort. He still has those scars on the back of his hands.'

They walked towards the Great Hall and up the staircase.

Rose giggled suddenly. The other two frowned at her, 'What?'

'I was just remembering what the twins did in their fifth year.'

'Oh. That,' sniggered Albus.

'What are you two sniggering about?'

They began to laugh. Scorpius scowled, 'Will you two behave and tell me what's so funny?'

'I just remembered another of the twins' shenanigans.'

'Yeah. Uncle George said that they once set off an entire box of firecrackers they had developed in secret. By the end of the day Umbridge and Filch were covered in soot.'

'Sounds like they were legends.'

'Oh they were,' Rose smiled sadly, 'Uncle George was never the same after Uncle Fred was killed. He said half of him died in the war.'

The mood was somber when they parted in the landing. They quietly said their goodbyes and turned towards their respective common rooms. For each of them were remembering the prankster, the legend, the fallen warrior, someone who could never abide gloominess and strove to switch on the light even in the darkest of times—Fred Weasley, the unsung hero.

oooooo


	6. Chapter 6 Letters and Loneliness

_**A/N Hello everyone! Here's another chapter for you. I'll be trying to continue a steady flow of chapters from now on. This story is turning out to be rather longer than I had anticipated. So please bear with me and continue to show your support by leaving your valuable reviews. they do help me to keep motivated. Cheers!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: All the original characters of the Harry Potter series are property of J. K. Rowling. I only own the story.**_

Dear _Dad,_

 _Hope you are well. How is mother? I am feeling the pressure of studies now that we are in the third year—_

Scorpius raised his quill and reread the sentence. Rubbish. He scrunched the parchment and threw it into the fireplace in disgust. This was his third attempt to write a letter to his dad. One would think it was rather easy to write letters to one's parents. Obviously not. He sighed, running his ink-smeared fingers through his hair. How to broach the subject of a new broom to his parents?

Scorpius had never had a normal father-son relationship with his dad, Draco. In fact, he never knew their relation was so different from others until he had taken a look at other families in their neighbourhood. Other children boasted of how they spent their time with their dads, doing manly things together. Some told stories of their fathers teaching them to ride a broom. Others talked about fishing and long hikes. Scorpius would only listen to them and try to contain the feeling of shock and betrayal that he felt towards his father.

He had always been closer to his mother. Astoria was a wonderful parent no doubt. But all her affections and support had fallen short when it came to fatherly affection and advice. Scorpius had not been able to break through the barrier that Draco had erected to keep him out. Draco was always distant and cold, even when he was present.

And that was the crux of the matter. Scorpius had always had a niggling feeling that his dad was scared of him. Scared of him?! It was absurd to think of. But there it was. And it tormented him to no end. He remembered the day long ago when he had asked his mum about this.

…' _Why is he always so distant mum?'_

 _Astoria had blanched at his direct attack. 'I'm sure I don't understand you, Scorpius?'_

' _You know what I mean very well…'_

' _He is busy, dear.'_

' _NO HE ISN'T!'_

' _Please keep your voice down, sweetheart. Dad would hear you.'_

' _I want him to hear it.'_

 _Astoria had only wrung her hands and looked miserable._

' _Mother, please tell me the truth. Does he hate me?'_

' _Of course not! What an absurd notion!'_

' _Is he afraid of me?'_

' _Why would he be afraid of his own son?' Yet there had been some kind of hesitancy in his mother's voice. But he had wanted answers. So he had ruthlessly ploughed on, 'Why can't he behave like any other father?'_

' _Not everyone is the same, Scorpius.'_

' _But…'_

 _Astoria had held out her hand to stop him, 'You are too young to understand, honey. You do not know the horrors that your father had to go through when he was young. But that is not my explanation to give. He will tell you himself when he is ready.'_

 _He had stormed out that day, but not before seeing his father stand stock-still outside the dining hall, his face grim and tormented…_

He had never shared this sliver of information with anyone, not even his best friend, Albus. He did not want to either. People would assume his dad was cold and grim by nature as the son of Lucius Malfoy would be. Yet he had seen the love that he had for his mother, tender and sweet. They lived and breathed for each other. His only regret was his dad had never felt the same kind of affection towards his only son.

Releasing the breath he had not realised he was holding, he plopped into one of the cushioned chairs facing the grate and closed his eyes.

'Can I borrow your quill one second?'

Scorpius cracked one eye. James stood fidgeting near the door.

'Feel free.' He closed his eyes again.

He could hear the faint murmur of James as he sat in a corner scratching away at a parchment, probably planning something mischievous. Soon another voice joined his. Henry Finnegan.

'What are you two doing?'

They gave identical devilish grins. 'That's none of your business, Snowy.'

'Of course it is. You just borrowed my quill. And please stop calling me Snowy.'

They guffawed, and walked away.

Yep. Those two were definitely upto something.

Scorpius yawned and gathered his spare parchments and quill. He couldn't complete the Astronomy chart now. It would have to wait for tomorrow. It had been a long day.

The portrait hole swung open. He didn't even have to turn to see Rose climbing in. It was a strange thing, he mused. He could always tell when it was Rose. Funny that.

'Hey!'

'Hey,' he turned, 'Was just retiring for the night.'

'So early?!'

Scorpius stifled another yawn. 'Amelia is a hard task-master,' he said.

'Yeah. That she is.' She went and climbed into a winged back chair.

'Anything bothering you?' he asked, as he put down the parchment and sat near her, cross-legged.

She picked up his quill and stroked it thoughtfully, 'No.'

'Carrots.'

'I'm scared of the match,' she blurted out, 'I couldn't catch the snitch three times out of ten.'

Scorpius rolled his eyes. 'I missed the Quaffle more times than I caught it. So?'

She huffed, 'What if I cannot catch the snitch? What if we lose the match because I couldn't catch it?'

'Calm down Weasley. The match is days away. We have plenty of time to practice.'

'Yeah, but…'

'No buts. If you cannot catch the snitch, the rest of us would try our hardest to score as quickly and as many goals as we can. And I'd try my best to save as many goals as I can. That's a promise. Ok?'

Rose threw her arms around him in a flash, making him blush crimson. 'Thank you thank you thank you!' she chanted.

'Hey! Gerroff!'

'Thank you thank you!'

'Yeah ok. Calm down.'

'Thank you thank you.'

'Carrots!'

'Hmmm?'

'Shut it and help me with the astronomy chart.'

Rose gave a toothy grin. 'Yeah ok. Sorry.'

It was almost midnight before they were finished. Scorpius threw down his quill and stretched on the hearth. 'That's it. I'm done. My head feels like sponge and my eyes  
feel like they have been dragged through sand.'

He turned his head when Rose kept quiet. She was looking at a piece of crumpled parchment. _Good Lord!_ It was one of his pathetic attempts to write a letter to his dad. He snatched it and threw it into the fire. He could feel his ears turning a vivid shade of scarlet. He cleared his throat noisily.

'It's late,' he said, without looking at her.

'Yeah. We should get some sleep.'

'Goodnight.'

'Goodnight Malfoy.'

He hurried towards his dormitory.

'And Malfoy…'

He stopped and turned.

'Thanks for the support.'

oooooo

Rose folded her parchment and slid it neatly into the envelope. She missed Grandma Weasley. She remembered being hugged the numerous times she had scarped her knee or been teased by her cousins. Grandma Weasley could always make her feel better with one of her cozy hugs and a cookie or two.

She addressed it to The Burrow in her neat handwriting and set out for the owlery.

The Great Hall was bustling with activity. The teachers were talking amongst themselves, smiling and nodding whenever Headmistress McGonagall joined in. The students drank pumpkin juice and shoveled pieces of toast into their mouth before hurrying off to collect their satchels. Some sat comparing notes while others read out the _Daily Prophet_ loudly to their friends. The morning post must have arrived. Rose increased her pace.

'Hey Rosie!' she looked back at the shout. Albus was making his way to her, a frown marring his face.

'Do you know where Scorp is?'

'No,' she shook her head, puzzled, 'I thought he was with you! Didn't he come down to breakfast?'

'No he didn't!'

Rose frowned. Scorp was behaving rather oddly since she picked up that crumpled letter he was writing to his dad. She had never meant to snoop but how would she know it was a discarded letter? She had meant to tell him that she was happy that he had decided to write to his dad but his reaction had kept her at bay. Since then he had been distant with her, sticking to Al and disappearing before she could catch up with him.

'Have you checked the boys' dorm?'

'I would have, but the password has changed.'

'Oh. It's _virtus vincit omnia_. Go check there while I send this off to Grandma Weasley,' she said, trotting away. She could hear him asking whether she had asked Grandma about sending more cookies. As if she needed reminding by a letter!

The air outside was nippy and bracing. She took a great inhale and scrambled up the numerous stairs leading to the owlery. Down below stretched the green lawn. A portion of the Great Lake was visible on the right. As she climbed higher and higher she could see the tip of Hagrid's hut. A faint line of smoke curled up from the chimney. Hagrid must be home, she thought. A little farther to the right, she could spy the three gigantic hoops of the Quidditch field. The sight filled her with trepidation. The first match of the season was three days away. Even though she was performing much better than before, Rose could not help feeling slightly nervous. She turned to go and promptly collided with a solid wall of flesh.

'What the—'

'Aauu—'

'Ouch. Watch it!'

They went down in a tangle of limbs. Rose tried her best to maintain her temper and managed to sit up. Spitting out clumps of hair from her mouth, she hissed, 'Can't you watch whe—Malfoy?!'

'Carrots?!'

'What are you doing here?' they asked simultaneously.

'Nothing!' said Scorpius. Rose narrowed her eyes.

'Alright. Alright. I was sending a letter to mum.'

'Oh! That's great! I was going to send this letter to Grandma Weasley.'

They looked at each other. Then they burst out laughing. Scorpius sat up and winced, 'Jeez, Carrots. I think you've managed to bruise me black and blue.'

'What!'

'You have pretty sharp elbows. Use them liberally in the match and we'd have a sure victory.'

'Shut up!' she shoved him, chuckling.

Scorpius got up, dusting his trousers and held out his hand, 'C'mon. Let's get your letter posted.'

Hailey had fluttered down to her parch as soon as she saw her mistress with a letter. She held out her leg patiently as Rose tied the letter properly. Rose stroked her head twice, then launched her into the sky. Together, they watched her silhouette getting smaller and smaller till she disappeared.

'So,' said Rose, as they were climbing down the stairs, 'Did you ask your dad for the new broom?'

Scorpius cleared his voice and looked away uneasily. But Rose was as persistent as a gnat.

'C'mon Scorp. You need to talk to your dad. If not today then some other time.'

'You don't understand.'

'Of course I don't. He is _your_ dad.'

'No,' he said vehemently, 'You _don't understand_. He doesn't love me.'

Rose gave a rude snort, 'Of course he loves you. Don't be an idiot.'

'How do you know?' he ground out through the lump in his throat. 'How do you explain the fact that he has purposefully stayed away from me and refused to forge any emotional connection with his only son?'

Rose could not form any coherent argument in the face of such agony. She looked on, astonished as a lone tear travelled down his smooth cheek and hung on the balance.

'You do not know my dad. Since I was a little kid my dad never once offered me fatherly advice or affection. He was always formal towards me, like I was somebody else's son. Not his. For Godric's sake, he behaves better with other kids,' he laughed derisively. 'I had done everything possible for a small kid to make him like me more. To just laugh and ruffle my hair and say 'Hey buddy.'… Or smile and tell me I was a good son. I have been on my best behavior. I have struggled to do something that would make him turn to me just once. Did you know what he told me when I was leaving for Hogwarts the first time?' he asked through choked tears. 'He said, 'Keep your head down, don't make any unnecessary enemies and you'll be fine.' That's what he said. No 'I love you son,' or 'I'll miss you too.''

Rose couldn't take it anymore. She threw her arms around him and held him like that. 'I'm so sorry,' she whispered as a peace offering.

And that was the first and last time she saw Scorpius Malfoy weep. She stood hugging him on the stairs of the owlery as he wept away the pain and anger of a kid  
neglected by his dad. And that was the first time she did something she had never done before. She kissed Scorpius Malfoy on the cheek as a tiny effort to fill the gaping hole the poor boy had in his life.

ooooooo

To be continued...

 _ **Please review. And thanks for reading!**_


	7. Chapter 7 A Match and a Mishap

_**A/N Hi there! Another new chapter added to the ever-growing story of two of our favourite characters, Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions on character development or plot twist, in fact anything, so long as it goes with the storyline. So far I have been able to show glimpses of a romance hidden between the sweet camaraderie between these two protagonists. What do you guys think? Have a look at the chapter and let me know! and as you know by now, reviews are very much appreciated. It speeds up my creativity.**_

 **Disclaimer: All original Harry Potter characters are the express property of J. K. Rowling. I own the story and the mistakes.**

Thursday morning dawned bright and cheerful. A light spate of rain the previous day had everybody worrying about the match. But now it had all cleared up into a dazzling blue sky with wispy snow-white clouds.

Scorpius smoothed a hand over his brand new _Trailblazer 140_ and sighed softly. It still smelt of wood polish and had straight, evened out twigs. It had been delivered by two big barn owls in the midst of breakfast yesterday. All his friends had cheered and whistled, knowing full well how much it would increase their chances of winning the match. Amelia had thumped him on the back and skipped to alert the other team-mates. But Scorpius only had eyes for the note attached to the package. A letter written in his mother's elegant and loopy handwriting—

 _Dearest son,_

 _We are overjoyed to hear from you. You rarely write to us and so this comes as a lovely surprise. Your father is immensely pleased to find that you have been selected for the House team (he was a seeker during his student life.) We are hale and hearty but miss you every moment of every day. Don't forget to write as often as you can. Eat properly. Because health is more important than grades. Wear a scarf to class if it is chilly outside. And don't forget to consult Madame Pomfrey if you catch a cold._

 _As for your request, of course we wouldn't mind. Do let us know what you think of our gift. Your father was thinking of going to watch your very first match. Unfortunately a summons from the Ministry has made it impossible. All the best for the match dear. Dad sends his love._

 _Hugs,_

 _Mom._

 _P.S. How are Albus and Rose?_

Scorpius inhaled the letter once again. It smelled faintly of cinnamon and the perfume that his mother wore most of the time. It smelt of home. He folded it carefully and put it away in his trunk. A faint glow had formed in the region of his chest. _Dad had wanted to come to his match!_ That was definitely something.

Pocketing his wand he shouldered his broom and climbed out of the portrait hole. His dorm-mates had thumped his back and wished him luck before disappearing to the Great Hall. Classes had been suspended for the day. Most of the students were making their way to the stadium. He spied Rose surrounded by her cousins. She looked green. Shaking his head, he walked up to the Weasley-Potter clan.

Since the incident at the owlery stairs, he and Rose had come to a mutual understanding never to mention it. However that had not affected their friendship. In fact, both of them had become more relaxed around each other. Perhaps it was because they had seen each other at their weakest point and hadn't judged. Whatever the reason, they found themselves hanging out with each other more and more. Studying had never been more fun.

'You ok?' he grabbed a sandwich from the plate sitting in front of her.

'No she isn't,' snapped Lily, Al's younger sister. She was the same age as Hugo and a complete hoyden. She also happened to be the darling of her cousins.

'She won't eat anything,' supplied Victoire. She was a sixth year Ravenclaw and the eldest of the Weasley cousins. She was a very popular student due to her part-Veela ancestry. She shifted to make room for Scorpius. The rest of the cousins just shook their head and started walking out of the hall.

Scorpius sighed. Rose looked close to throwing up.

'Hey Carrots!' he teased, 'Want to bet on how many goals I can save before you catch the snitch?'

'I'm in!' chirped Lily.

'No you're not,' scolded Victoire, tugging her away, 'Aunt Ginny will have my head if she hears you placing bets.' They walked away, grumbling (on Lily's part) and scolding (on Victoire's), leaving Scorpius and Rose alone. Rose rolled her eyes but there was a definite upward curve to her lips.

Feeling encouraged, he held out a sandwich, 'C'mon Carrots. Eat something or you might faint in the middle of the match.'

She punched him on the arm before taking a small bite.

'There. See? It isn't so hard. Now eat the whole thing so that we can go down to the changing room together.'

'What if we lose?'

Scorpius blew out an exasperated breath, 'Nobody would blame you. Relax. Half of Gryffindor House is related to you! The rest are too scared of the combined force of the Weasley-Potter clan. Trust me. Nobody with a regard for his limbs and life would venture to blame you.'

That earned him another punch.

'Ouch! Hey! I need my arms in working order!'

'Keep uttering such nonsense and no part of you would be in working order.'

They joked and teased all the way to the Quidditch ground. By the time they had changed into their jerseys, Rose was back to her stubborn, sharp-tongued self.

Captain Zach was not pleased. 'Where have you two been?' she shouted, livid, 'I was wondering if you had decided to bunk the match!' The rest of the team sniggered behind their hands, but she cast them such a glower that they gulped.

Amelia addressed the team, 'Alright everyone. You know what to do. Wilkins and Potter, try your best to keep the bludgers out my chasers' way. Andrews and Carlos, you two, look out for my signals and never break formation unless I say so. Malfoy, keep flying between the hoops. Do not be static. And Weasley,' she turned to Rose, 'Keep out of the way until you spot the Snitch.'

Everyone nodded.

'Right. Good luck everyone and let's win this game.'

They cheered and turned towards the entrance. The field beyond the door was buzzing like a hornet's nest. Gregory Smithkins, a fourth year Hufflepuff boomed into the mouthpiece, 'Welcome to the first inter-House match of the season, GRYFFINDOR versus RAVENCLAW!' amidst deafening cheers from the onlookers.

'For the Gryffindor team, we give you—Zach, Andrews, Carlos, Potter, Wilkins, Malfoy aaaand Weasley!' A loud cheer of 'POTTER' and 'WEASLEY' went up among the Gryffindor onlookers, quickly drowned by boos from the rest of the Houses.

'Here comes the Ravenclaw team. I wonder who the new seeker might be now that Jenkins is gone. Give it up for—Menos, Travis, Drew, Patel, Wallander, Hudson aaaaand…is that Albus Potter…Oh My God! It IS Albus Potter!'

The crowd went ballistic among shouts of 'POTTER', 'POTTER'. Nobody knew which Potter they were cheering.

'This is classic – this is wonderful – this is beyond my wildest imaginations – Potter versus Potter – Oh we'll enjoy this match trust me –

Professor McGonagall glared at him.

'Uh – sorry for getting a little carried away – so without further ado let the match begin – and here comes Madame Hooch – she has graciously agreed to referee once again – the captains are moving forward to do the customary handshake – let's hope they don't break each other's bones –

'SMITHKINS!'

'Just kidding, Professor – right – the first whistle blows signaling the release of the balls – and yesss – they are off –'

Scorpius took his position among the goalpost and kept an eye for Rose. She was hovering over the rest of the players, twisting and turning for a glimpse of the elusive snitch. The real battle raged below.

'Gryffindor captain Amelia Zach immediately takes the Quaffle – a quick dive to avoid a Bludger – she neatly passes to – oh no – Ravenclaw in possession – Chaser Travis closely avoids the bat of Gryffindor Beater Wilkins, clearly a new one at the job – flying towards the Gryffindor goalposts – ouch, that must hurt – hit on the elbow by a Bludger sent by the other Gryffindor Beater, James Potter – Gryffindor once again in possession – Quaffle taken by Chaser Tara Carlos – she is angling for the Gryffindor goal! – IS SHE DU—ooh – that's quite a bit of clever manipulation – Chaser Andrews grabs the Quaffle – flying like the wind there – ducks a Bludger – oh no – the Ravenclaw Chasers are crowding in – can he get out ? – can he? – he dives – avoids collision – but can't save the Quaffle – Ravenclaw in possession again – Captain Menos strongly gesticulating to one of his Beaters as he flies towards the Gryffindor goalpost – nice dive around Captain Amelia Zach – a clean pass to Chaser Drew – she shoots straight towards the goalpost – and she sc – no, blocked by Keeper Malfoy, new talent on the rise – '

Scorpius blew out a breath. He had almost let her score. He grinned when James gave him a mock salute before swinging the bat and sending a Bludger towards the opposite team. Up there Rose was doing a celebratory loop.

'Nice job, Malfoy,' yelled Captain Zach. The scarlet crowd was chanting 'Malfoy', 'Malfoy' below. The game commenced with more ferocity.

'Chaser Travis gets the Quaffle – Ravenclaw in possession – she passes to Captain Menos – who dives – Bludger almost unseats him – aiming for the goalpost – Keeper Malfoy hovering anxiously – Menos aims to the left – it is a Feint – RAVENCLAW SCORE!'

Ravenclaw cheers deafened out the howls of the Gryffindors.

'Ravenclaws continues to be in possession – both the Seekers are strangely showing no signs of action – never mind – Chaser Drew drops the Quaffle to avoid head-on collision with Gryffindor Chaser Carlos – Carlos in possession – gives a neat pass to Zach, and – Seeker Potter is diving into the breach closely followed by Weasley – did they spot the snitch?! – yet to be confirmed – meanwhile – GRYFFINDOR SCORE!'

Scorpius was having a hard time guarding the post and keeping an eye on Rose. Al was a born flyer. No doubt his captain wanted to keep him a secret. He watched the cousins compete against each other to capture the elusive snitch. They wove among the other players with astonishing speed and dove towards the ground.

'That is indeed the snitch – Seekers Potter and Weasley trying very hard to outrun each other there – as Chaser Drew tries to take this diversion to score – oh no – a brilliant save by the Gryffindor Keeper!'

Suddenly the crowd drew a collective gasp. Scorpius felt his stomach drop. Rose was nose to nose with Albus and diving at a tremendous speed. She did not have the quick reflexes of her cousin and would crash if she did not pull out of the dive soon. Then the miraculous happened. She looped around Al, shoved his hand away and pulled out of the dive, the snitch fluttering between her fingers.

'Would you look at that – Seeker Rose Weasley outsmarts her opponent and cousin, Albus Potter to catch the Snitch! – a hundred and fifty points to Gryffindor – GRYFFINDOR WINS!'

The crowd erupted. The Gryffindor team whooped and clapped before flying towards their Seeker. Scorpius too was clapping when he heard Rose's anguished cry, 'NOOOOO!'

Then all went black.

ooooo

Rose had been biting her nails for the last couple of hours. She and the rest of the team were on tenterhooks. Some sat outside the hospital wing while others paced furiously. Al looked pale and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

Everything was going brilliantly, Rose remembered. She had stayed out of the fray. And when she spotted the Snitch hovering just near the Slytherin, she had immediately given chase. She had even made a hard decision (though it was unorthodox) and applied a maneuver to loop around Al. It had succeeded wonderfully. She had managed to catch the Snitch under his nose. She was enjoying the heady thrill of a victory for the first time. But then Malfoy had to go and spoil it all. If he hadn't gotten himself knocked out by a stray Bludger, she swore she would have gone and happily done the deed for him. The idiot.

If only he were conscious, which he was not.

Yet.

Rose continued to bite her nails to tatters.

James peeped into the sickroom. 'They have drawn curtains around him,' he informed them.

'Does it mean it is serious?' asked Al in a tremulous voice. Scorp was his best friend after all.

'I don't know. May be they are changing his clothes.'

Everybody else nodded. Another five minutes passed in complete suspense.

Then Madame Pomfrey emerged, grumbling about beastly sports and idiot boys. The whole team crowded around her at once.

'How is he?'

'Is he awake yet?'

'Is it serious?'

'Will he be alright?'

'Can we see him now?'

'SILENCE!' she ordered. 'Now,' she continued in a more quiet voice, 'He is alright, though he had a cracked skull.'

Someone gasped.

'Not to worry,' continued Madame Pomfrey in her clipped tones, 'I have fixed him up and left him to sleep. He would have a splitting headache when he wakes up, though.'

'Can we go see him for a bit?' Rose asked.

Madame Pomfrey frowned her sternest frown, 'Only six allowed at a time. And No Talking.'

Rose , Albus and James were the last to go in. They took seats beside the bed and gazed at the pale face lying as still as death. The white bandage around his head served a contrast to the whiteness of his visage.

'Will he be ok?' whispered Albus.

James gulped audibly, 'He looks so…death-like.'

'Hush you two!' admonished Rose. She stretched out and took one of Malfoy's hands in her own.

'He will be alright,' she turned to her cousins, 'you will see.'

Scorpius groaned and mumbled something in his sleep. All three crowded around him, eager to hear what he was saying. But he grew quiet once again.

'What are you doing?!' came a voice from the back. Madame Pomfrey was striding angrily towards them. 'Visiting hours ended ten minutes ago. OUT!'

'But Ma'am—'

'No buts. Out, out, OUT!'

oooooo

It was late afternoon the next day when Rose skipped up the stairs and took a left to the hospital wing. Albus had been there in the morning and had informed her that Scorpius was awake but hadn't talked much due to the splitting headache Madame Pomfrey had predicted. She took a peek inside. The screens were absent. Scorpius lay on his back, eyes closed. Careful not to wake him, she tiptoed inside and pulled a stool to sit down. She cleared a space on the bedside table and laid out the day's homework.

She had reached the end of the foot-long Arithmency essay when Scorpius groaned.

'Hello sleepyhead!'

'Carrots?!' he croaked hoarsely.

'Who else? How are you feeling?'

'Like a hundred hippogriffs are tap-dancing inside my skull.'

Rose groaned in sympathy.

'What happened?' he peered at her through bleary eyes.

'You took a Bludger to your head. If Captain Zach and Al had not caught you, you might have broken a few bones as well.'

'Thank the Almighty for small blessings!'

Rose put a final dot to her essay and started blowing on it to dry the ink.

'What's that?' asked Scorpius.

'That is today's homework.'

Scorpius groaned.

'Don't worry. I'll let you copy from mine.'

'You are an angel!'

'And you are an idiot,' she shoved him playfully.

'How so?!'

'For spoiling my first victory!'

'I was doing you a favour!'

'Oh really?!'

'Yep. Didn't want the victory to go to your head!'

She stuck out her tongue.

Scorpius snorted, 'Real mature, Carrots. Real mature.'

They talked till twilight. Once Madame Pomfrey bustled in and ordered her out, she rolled her essay and stood.

'I gotta go.'

'I know.'

'See you tomorrow,' she tucked the cover around him.

'Carrots?'

'Hmm?'

'Thanks for coming. I'm sorry I spoilt your win.'

She shrugged nonchalantly, 'That's ok. Get some sleep.'

'Goodnight Carrots.'

''Night Snowy.'

And she returned to the great Hall, humming her favourite tune all the way.

ooooooo

 _To be continued..._


	8. Chapter 8 A Visit to Hogsmeade

_**A/N A huge thank you to all you people who took out some time to go through my story. Your valuable support is much appreciated. A shoutout to all those who favourited/followed and reviewed it. I'm really, really, really grateful to you all. You people are the best.**_

 _ **And now, another chapter fresh from the proverbial ovens. This one is a little bit lengthier than the previous ones. I hope you guys don't mind. Enjoy. And don't forget to review, good people! I know you want to ;)**_

 **Disclaimer: All original Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling. I only own the story.**

Christmas was almost upon them. The weather outside had turned chilly and sharp blasts of icy wind rattled the panes of the castle once in a while. Students did their best to capture a seat anywhere near a crackling fire with the juniors often coming off the worst. The poor dears had to huddle together in a corner, blowing on their frozen hands and rubbing their red noses to keep them warm.

It was one such morning that Hugo thumped down a large tome in front of the three and grumbled, 'You guys are so lucky.'

Scorpius looked up from his book. 'What makes you say so?'

'Hogsmeade.'

Lily who had been practicing her levitation charm by making Rose's quill hover above all their head, gasped. The discarded quill floated down to settle down on top of Rose's homework.

'And what's so exciting about Hogsmeade?' asked Rose.

'Everything!' scowled Hugo, 'They have Zonko's and The Three Broomsticks and of course Honeydukes…'

He and Lily had identical dreamy looks on their faces.

Rose snapped a finger before them, 'Who told you?'

'James.'

Scorpius turned to Al who shook his head. 'Did they put up any notice?'

Hugo pointed to a cluster of students jostling each other to have a better look at something. 'Only third years and above can go. It's bloody unfair!'

'Watch your tongue, young man. Or I'll have to report to mother,' hissed Rose.

Hugo scoffed, 'Yeah. Like I'm any worse than you.' He winked at Scorpius before turning and striding off towards a group of his classmates.

Scorpius snorted, earning a death glare from her.

oooooo

'What do you think of the Hogsmeade trip?' asked Scorpius as they hurried towards greenhouse three to escape the biting cold.

'I think it's brilliant!' grinned Al.

'What about you, Carrots?'

'I could do with some Butterbeer. They say Madam Rosemarta serves the best Butterbeer in the entire country. Brrrrr. I'm freezing all over.'

'When is it again?'

Albus pulled out a crumpled leaflet and groaned, 'Oh no. It's on Friday.'

'So?' asked Rose.

'We have Quidditch practice on Friday.'

'Tell your captain you have injured your leg,' suggested Rose.

'Yeah. And when he finds out I have been able to make an entire trip to Hogemeade and back on my injured leg…' Al let the sentence hang.

They continued discussing various excuses to get him out of the practice till Professor Longbottom rapped on a flowerpot to get their attention.

oooooo

Turned out Albus did not have to make excuses to get out of match practice. Captain Menos himself had badly wanted to go to the Hogsmeade trip and had cancelled the practice session beforehand.

'So,' said Scorpius, slinging an arm over Al's shoulders, 'What do you plan to do?'

'I must visit the stationery shop. I'm out of quills and parchment. What do _you_ plan to do?'

'Three Broomsticks. And afterwards the legendary Shrieking Shack.'

'Oh yes. Good idea. Let's go tell Rosie.'

They tracked her down to the Gryffindor common room. She had her hands on her hips and was railing at James and Henry for daring to frighten away a first year boy from near the fireplace.

'YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES! HOW DARE YOU SCARE THE BOY AWAY! HE HAS AS MUCH RIGHT TO SIT NEAR THE FIREPLACE AS YOU ALL SLUGHEADS!'

Needless to say, James and Henry wore similar scared expressions. They mumbled something only to be drowned by another barrage of rebukes.

'WAIT TILL I TELL AUNT GINNY! BULLYING OTHERS ONLY BECAUSE YOU CAN! _I_ AM ASHAMED OF YOU!'

The first year boy flinched when she turned to her. 'C'mon,' she soothed, 'You can sit in that chair anytime you wish. And tell me if those two morons bother you again.'

The boy nodded jerkily before scampering away.

Al sniggered, 'Sometimes she reminds me of Grandma Weasley. Mom says she too could vanquish Uncle Fred and George with only her glower and her tongue.'

'Remind me never to anger your cousin.'

'Trust me. You shouldn't.'

They walked upto her. 'Hey Rosie!'

'What!' she snapped.

'Umm…Hogsmeade planning?'

She took a deep breath and nodded. 'Sorry about that. I was having trouble memorising the runes. And then those two had to come and muddle everything. Why do you have your eyes closed?'

Al held up his hand, 'Hush. I'm trying to fix the sight of Jamie's scared face in my mind. It is such a rare sight that I need to stop and savour it for all its worth.'

They all laughed at that and walked towards the Great Hall for lunch.

oooooo

They had History of Magic on Friday morning. A duller class there was none. Ten minutes into the monotonous drone of their ghost teacher, Professor Binns, and everyone wore a glazed look in his or her eyes. For the thousandth time, Scorpius envied the back benchers. Rose was scratching away with a quill. To others it would appear she was furiously taking down notes. But only he knew she was doing a doodle of heaven knew what. He nudged her with his foot.

'What?' she asked.

'What are you drawing?'

'You'll see.' She went back to her doodling. Scorpius stifled a yawn and looked to his left. Only Al was alert. He nodded every now and then and took down real notes. Suddenly he put up his hand. Professor Binns, unused to being interrupted, came to an abrupt halt.

'Please Sir, can you tell us something about the history of the Shrieking Shack?'

Everyone stirred up, interested.

'I don't see its relation to the current topic we were discussing, mister Parton.'

'Potter, sir. But Sir,' Al pressed on, 'I was told that the traitor Pettigrew who was vital to the resurrection of Voldemort was forcefully revealed in that shack. I just wanted to know the significance of the site.'

The rest of the class followed their exchange with much enthusiasm.

Unable to ignore the eager faces of the students and unused to the sudden interest, the professor cleared his throat and launched into a detailed history of the shack, right from its construction to its enigmatic name down to the vicious murder of Severus Snape. When the bell rang half an hour later, almost all had their mouths hanging open.

'Bloody hell!' exclaimed Stephen Biggs, Scorpius's dorm-mate, 'That was the best History of Magic class I ever attended!' Others nodded their heads in agreement.

'Did you hear it?' Scorpius turned to Rose, who was hastily dumping everything into her satchel.

'Mmhmm.'

'Wasn't that a great tale?'

She shrugged, 'I wasn't listening. Mum told me about that ages ago.'

'What were you doing then?!' Al asked suspiciously.

'This,' she thrust a parchment into his hands.

It was a cartoon of Professor Binns, with droopy eyes and nose hair.

oooooo

'I want to go too,' whined Lily, as they stood in line to submit their trip passes to Filch, the caretaker.

Al rolled his eyes, 'Don't be a baby, Lil.'

'I want to go to Hogsmeade,' she pouted, making puppy eyes. 'Please.'

'Why don't you go and pester Jamie?'

'I can't find him.'

Scorpius watched the two siblings with interest. They apparently couldn't stand each other and yet there was a strong bond of love between them. He envied Albus secretly. Then again, nobody could resist liking Lily Potter. She had the uncanny ability to create a soft spot in a person's heart and stay there.

And she looked ready to cry.

'We'll bring you loads of candies from Honeydukes',' he found himself telling the little girl.

'Will you really?' she turned her adorable green eyes to him, ignoring her brother's groan.

'Yes poppet, I promise,' he smiled down at her.

'Thanks Scorp. I have decided I like you better than _most_ people,' she stressed the 'most' with a significant glare at her brother.

'Have you seen Rosie?' Al ignored the insult as any long suffering elder brother would.

Lily shook her head. The queue pressed forward slowly.

'Where on earth is she?' Al wondered aloud, looking about. Suddenly, as if summoned by magic, Rose materialized beside them, a bit tousled and red-nosed.

'Where have you been?!'

'Had a letter from Grandma Weasley just as I was coming down. Hailey was frozen, poor thing.'

Lily suddenly squealed 'Cookies' and set off at a sprint towards the stairs.

Scorpius frowned, ' _The_ cookies?'

He had once tasted one those cookies. It was heavenly. His mouth watered at the thought.

'So,' Rose pulled her cloak closer, 'Where to?'

Al answered, 'Let's go to The Three Broomsticks first.'

They trudged down the lane following the other groups at a distance. Couples held hands while friends fooled around with each other. James, Henry and a few of their cronies discussed items found in Zonko's. Everyone was in a hurry to reach Hogsmeade.

Hogsmeade was a quaint sight to behold. Shops displayed artifacts in well-lit windows. The post office housed a hundred varieties of owls—long distance, short distance, express. People moved around, walking from shop to shop, admiring the displays. Some chattered amongst friends. Somewhere a shop bell tinkled. An air of festivity pervaded the entire scene.

'Shall we?' called Al, holding a door open. Scorpius glimpsed up. A lopsided, snow-covered sign-board proclaimed the famous Three Broomsticks. They quickly entered the inn and found a corner table.

Madam Rosemarta sauntered down to them to take orders. She had been a beauty in her prime.

'Three mugs of Butterbeer please.' Rose took off her pompom hat and ran fingers through her tangled hair. Scorpius found it oddly pleasing to follow the repetitive path of her small hands.

'What!' he snapped to attention at her enquiry.

'Your hair.'

'What about it?' she scowled.

'It has grown darker,' he offered to mollify her wounded pride, not that it was not true.

Rose snorted but looked slightly pleased. Al rolled his eyes. _Girls_ , he muttered under his breath.

Their Butterbeers arrived. It turned out to be better than they had expected. They took tiny sips and observed the other people. The Three Broomsticks seemed to have a large patronage. Wizard looking all important in their expensive cloaks and polished shoes, languished in the chairs. Officials from some nearby establishments discussed current topics with their colleagues over mugs of firewhiskey. At the back, some witcheswitches who must have been out shopping chattered continuously, arguing the best use of flutterby flowers.

'Look, there's Professor Hagrid,' Rose whispered suddenly.

'Where?'

'Over there, by the window,' she pointed to her left.

Sure enough, there he sat, nursing a firewhiskey and talking to Madam Rosemarta.

'Shall we go and say hello?'

'Sure.'

They paid their coins and strode over to him.

'Hello Professor,' smiled Rose.

He turned. 'Rosie!' he boomed, his eyes crinkling. 'Am no'fessor now. Call me Hagrid. C'm'ere an' give an ol' man a hug,' he engulfed Rose in his huge arms.

Scorpius was slightly intimidated by his height, but no one could be afraid of the man for long. With his graying hair and round middle, he resembles Father Christmas, he mused.

'An' who is this?' Hagrid turned to him suddenly.

'Scorpius Malfoy, sir.'

Hagrid's smile slipped slightly. 'I knew your father,' he said.

Scorpius felt himself turning red. Most people did not have pleasant memories of his father. They only saw Draco Malfoy, the Death Eater, whenever they discussed him. For Scorpius, it was an excruciating experience. He knew his father better than most. And the injustice that they should judge without knowing his father caused him pain.

'He's become a good man.'

Scorpius blinked. Had he heard the giant right? He glanced up to find Hagrid looking at him thoughtfully.

'Yes,' he nodded, 'He's a good man. An' so are you.'

Scorpius blushed again, not knowing where to look. This was the first time someone said something good about his father. His eyes were drawn to Rose's on their own volition.

She was beaming from ear to ear.

They said their goodbyes outside the inn and made their way towards the stationery shop. Al selected a bunch of quills while Rose browsed a stack of vellum.

'I'm thinking of buying Christmas gifts for Mom and Dad. What do you think?' she asked the boys. Al shrugged. Scorpius nodded, 'Good idea. Let's go find some gift shop.'

Twenty minutes later, they found themselves shaking their heads and browsing through heaps of scarves and books and silver-backed hairbrushes and dragon-hide wallets.

'I give up,' said Al after another five minutes.

Rose selected a scarf and a mokeskin pouch, 'There. I'm done.'

Scorpius was still at a loss. He looked at Rose with pleading eyes.

'Do one thing,' she said, 'first, close your eyes.'

He did.

'Now picture your mother clearly in your head. Do you have her?'

'Yes.'

'Now open your eyes and look at the items. Which one reminds you of her?'

Scorpius swept his eyes across the numerous displays. Then his eyes lit up.

'There,' he pointed out, 'I'll have that crystal bottle of perfume.'

'And what about your dad?'

He couldn't find anything in the shop to remind him of his father. He closed his eyes again and pictured him—tall, stately and elegant, reserved, aloof and a little bit sad…

…and the sight of a long eagle feather quill crept into his vision.

'Not here,' he muttered, dragging Al and Rose behind him.

They went back to the stationery shop. Al grumbled about his nose falling off in the cold all the time the shopkeeper was wrapping the quill in paper. Scorpius took his wrapped parcels and they turned towards home.

'We have yet to visit Honeyduke's,' Al grumbled.

'Good gracious! I had forgotten I owe Lily some candies!'

'Don't worry about her,' said Al, 'she is probably stuffed with cookies by now.'

'A promise is a promise.'

Rose snorted, 'You clearly do not have siblings. Or you'd have known that promises such as these are made to be broken quite often.'

'But won't she be hurt?'

'She might be angry, cry even but we are all forgiven in the end.'

'Really?!'

'Yes.'

'But why?'

'Because we are family,' she smiled.

What Scorpius Malfoy didn't realise as he ordered a dozen sherbet lemons and bonbons and sugared quills at Honeyduke's was that he had unknowingly learnt a valuable lesson from the Weasleys that day. That no matter what, a family always sticks together.

oooooo

 _To be continued..._

 ** _Please review! and thanks for reading!_**


	9. Chapter 9 Christmas Gifts

**_A/N So...another quick update before I'm done for the day. I was thinking that perhaps you guys would like to know how Draco reacted to Scorpius's gift. So read on and enjoy. It's a small chapter though I liked writing it immensely. Let me know what you all think. And review, review, review!_**

 _Dear Carrots,_

 _A Merry Christmas to you and your family!_

 _Christmas was as boring as I had predicted (though it got mildly interesting towards the end of the family dinner.) Suffice it to say that father and Grandfather do not see eye to eye anymore. Don't worry that I'm upset. Far from it. It is an improvement if I may say so. I remember father remaining morose and taciturn for weeks after visiting my grandparents. Being in my grandfather's presence can do that to a person. I do not blame father._

 _We have been touring Rome on account of father's business. We leave for home on the morrow. I picked up a little something for you from one of the local bazaars. Please accept it as a Christmas gift (it reminded me of you). Speaking of which, I almost forgot to thank you for these soft leather gloves. And of course the fudge. Mom too is in love with your Grandma's cooking. You guys are so lucky. However, I do wonder how you all maintain your figures (please don't punch me. I'm kidding.)_

 _On a different note, father liked my gift. I spied him admiring the eagle feather quill the other day. He has been using it to sign documents lately. Thank you once again for helping me out on that count. Mom sends her regards._

 _Hoping to see you all soon._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Scorpius_

 _P. S. Hope this reaches you before the holidays, though I have serious doubts. Apollo has been growing rather plump due to lack of exercise. I wonder if he can make the journey after all._

Rose chuckled as she read and reread the letter. God, she missed school and her friends. Her cousins could be boisterous most of the time. And Albus was a boy. She couldn't share everything with him. Oddly enough, it never stopped her from sharing everything with Malfoy. Weird.

Thinking of him made her feel a twinge of sadness, something she couldn't explain. She sighed and folded the letter. Then she picked up the tiny wrapped package. It looked like a lump of rock. Careful not to tear the wrapper, she eased the string bit by bit and suddenly a heavy pendant slid out of the wrappings.

Rose blinked. Then she blinked once again.

There lay upon the sheets a piece of a galaxy of stars. At least that was what it looked like at a first glance. The stone was mounted on a gold cage and shimmered like a thousand stars that dot the night sky. She picked it up and held it to the light. Each dazzling pin-prick winked and twinkled as it caught the sun rays. It was breath-taking.

Rose quickly stowed it away in her chest on hearing a pair of footsteps climbing up the stairs. The next moment the door swung open and Lily flounced inside and stood shifting from foot to foot.

'What is it?' Rose turned to her.

'Aren't you coming down?' she asked.

'Does Mom want me to help with the chores?'

'Not that I know of. James and the others have been asking for you.'

'What do they want with me?!' Rose asked, raising her brows.

'Oh, nothing!'

Rose smelt a rat immediately. One would not survive the Weasley household without learning to spot brewing mischief.

'C'mon,' Lily tugged at her, 'they wouldn't start without you.'

'What wouldn't they start?' though she let Lily drag her down the stairs and out on the lawn. And she found out 'what' soon enough.

SPLAT.

A cold lump of snow connected with her neck. What the—?

SPLAT.

Another snowball wetted her jeans. She turned sharply. James, Hugo and Albus were grinning from ear to ear and taking aim.

'Don't you dare throw that snowba—, goddammit!'

SPLAT.

She whirled around to catch Lily. But the traitor had hightailed it to the kitchens. Perhaps to lure the rest of the cousins to join the snowball fight.

In the meantime, two more balls had collided with her back and head.

Enough was enough. She rolled up her sleeves. This was war.

She gathered as much loose snow as she could and set to creating an arsenal of snowballs, all the time dodging the incoming barrage.

'What's going on?!' Dominique had joined the fight. Lily hovered near the door.

Rose lobbed two snowballs which immediately connected with the targets. 'Defending my fort!' she yelled taking aim.

With a whoop Dominique jumped into the fray and started making more snowballs. Together they managed to make an entire heap.

The boys were taking a serious beating. They had not created a hoard before. Each time they bent down to scoop more snow they were hit by snowballs. Rose did an evil cackle. Shouts and yells and an occasional squeal filled the air. The fight commenced with full force.

'Aha! What have we here?'

They turned to find Aunt Ginny standing and grinning near the door.

'Snow war!' everyone yelled.

Aunt Ginny was a formidable opponent. With the reflexes of a seasoned Quidditch player and the aim of a Chaser she could take down the enemy in a trice. Lily pulled her down the steps to join Rose's group.

'That's unfair!' yelled Hugo, 'we need someone to even out the numbers.'

So Uncle Harry was dragged in followed by Uncle Bill and Victoire. Soon almost everyone had joined the fight. They had to shift ground many times due to lack of snow.

It was fun, thought Rose. Then she shook her head. No. It was tradition.

Late in the afternoon a wet and muddied and bedraggled bunch traipsed inside the Burrow.

'Wipe your shoes on the doormat,' barked Grandma Weasley, as she waved her wand at the floor to vanish the splotches of dirt.

That night at supper everyone laughed and shoved each other playfully, recounting how they had outmaneuvered the opponent. Rose sat back and observed her family. Grandpa Weasley discussed the mechanism of the electric heater with Uncle Harry. Aunt Ginny helped Grandma Weasley and Aunt Fleur to clear the dishes as Mom brought in the desserts. Hugo and Lily fought over the number of times they got splattered by snow (Rose shook her head). Dominique discussed the latest fashion with Victoire. Teddy stole quick peeks at Victoire in the meantime. James boasted of the number of girls who asked him out as Albus shook his head ruefully. Uncle George had a half-smile playing at the corner of his lips as he listened to them.

This was her family. Boisterous and funny, loud and loving, irritating and comforting all at the same time. Rose smiled as a half-eaten bun sailed past her ear (the culprit turned out to be little Freddie who later gave the reason that cousin Rose had been staring at him and made him uneasy). How she loved them all.

It was well past midnight and Lily had fallen asleep beside her by the time Rose remembered about the pendant. What had he written about it?

 _It reminded me of you._

Rose smiled at the darkness, rolled over and promptly fell asleep.

oooooo

Scorpius looked out of the horse-drawn carriage to catch a glimpse of the school he had missed so much in the past few days. He had no friends at home. Albus and Rose had sent him the only letters during the vacation. Scorpius had envied them while reading about the whole family snowball fight that Rose had described in minute details. He tried imagining his father and grandfather engaging in a harmless snowball fight. His grandfather would probably look down his nose and try to kill whoever suggested such lowly amusements with concentrated disdain.

The carriage took a sharp turn and suddenly Hogwarts rose before his eyes, a gigantic silhouette against a blue sky with its numerous turrets and windows. Scorpius felt a familiar sense of contentment settle upon him. He pulled his cloak closer and peered out again.

The huge gate was flocked with returning students. Owls screeched and cats yowled, adding to the general cacophony. Dragging his heavy trunk and owl cage, Scorpius set out looking for the Weasleys and the Potters. Many Gryffindors called out to him. A group of second year Ravenclaw girls caught his eyes and giggled. Jostling the crowd with his elbows, he slowly progressed towards the Great Hall. The grounds were still covered in snow.

All of a sudden someone grabbed his arm. 'Scorp!' she squealed.

It was Lily Potter. Scorpius had come to look at her as a little sister.

'Hello poppet. Where's Al?'

'Over there,' she pointed at the back, 'I wanted to thank you for the colourful ribbons!'

'I'm glad you liked it,' he smiled.

The rest of the group had joined him by now. Amidst handshakes and backslaps he looked at them. They had come to consider him as a part of an extended family. He let the loneliness inside him seep away bit by bit. Albus was chattering about some new books he had found in Uncle Charlie's possession ('It'd help us in Care of Magical Creatures classes, trust me.') James was looking forward to the next Quidditch practice ('I wonder if I could take a spin around the goalpost today itself?') and Hugo was scolding Lily for eating his last Chocolate Frog ('I didn't mean to,' whined Lily, 'I only wanted to look at the card.') Laughing and talking they crossed the threshold and breathed the sweet, familiar scent of the castle.

'Hey Snowy.' Scorpius felt his lips curl into a smirk. Her slightly husky voice would always give her away.

'Hello Carrots.'

They stood looking at each other.

'Did you like my—'

'How was your—'

They laughed. 'You go first,' said Scorpius.

'How was your trip to Rome?'

'Lovely. How was yours? Don't tell. I know it was brilliant.'

She grinned, 'So what did you want to ask me?'

'Oh that,' he coloured, 'did you like the gift?'

'Oh yes. It's beautiful. Thanks Scorp.'

Scorpius blushed, 'you're welcome.'

They stood there, loath to break the beautiful moment till Al barged in and grabbed their attention. 'C'mon,' he urged, 'James and all the others are planning a snowball fight once again. We must hurry if we want to join them!'

Rose's grin turned devilish, 'I can't wait to splatter y'all!'

Al grabbed the bannister and turned, ' You better watch out, mate. She has a devilish aim!'

'Really?!' Scorpius raised an eyebrow. 'Excellent then. I could never resist a challenge!'

They clambered up the steps, eager to join the others on the ground. Scorpius hadn't felt such joy bubbling within him in a long, long time.

Al left them at the landing and the two of them turned to the right to climb the same old flight of stairs that led to the portrait hole.

'Oh it's good to be home,' sighed Rose, throwing away her cloak and falling back on a plush chair by the cheerful fire that burnt in the Gryffindor fireplace. Scorpius smiled at the sight.

He couldn't have agreed more.

ooooooo

 _To be continued..._


	10. Chapter 10 Unexpected Events

_**A/N Hello everyone! A small bit of information for you. This is the end of the third year for the trio and I am not being able to come up with enough interesting incidents to start the fourth year yet. There might be a slight hiatus in the writing. I was hoping you could suggest some of your own ideas so that I could look it up and write on it if I find it interesting enough! Till then, enjoy this little chapter I have to offer! And please don't forget to review! It's my motivation fuel…**_

The past few weeks had been hectic. What with last minute revisions and numerous wand movement practices and memorising all the ingredients of a particular potion, most students had been at the brink of a nervous collapse. No wonder the talisman business flourished. Even James and Henry were found poring through a stack of books and taking down notes in the library. They were in their fifth year and would be appearing for OWLs this year.

Rose was even worse. One would often find her hidden behind a large stack of books, furiously scratching away on a parchment and snatching up her wand from time to time to practice a spell. Her friends and family kept away in fear of having their head bitten off. The only thing to keep her sane was the occasional game of chess with Al or Malfoy.

Today was the last day of the exams. Rose sat in the Great Hall, taking tiny bites from the ham sandwich as she studied from a text book propped up against her goblet. They had Defence Against the Dark Arts within half an hour followed by Charms in the afternoon.

Someone plopped down beside her, disturbing her concentration. She turned sharply.

'Whoa! It's me!'

Scorpius sat there holding up his hands in mock surrender and grinning like a buffoon. She scowled.

'Couldn't you have sat down a little less noisily?' she ground out, 'now you've made me lose my line.'

'Don't you think you've studied enough?' Scorpius pointed his wand at the book and made it hover inches away from her reach.

' _Stop_ that!' she made a grab for the book, 'and no. I've to practice a few spells and charms. And I haven't finished the last chapter of this yet. Now go away and find someone else to bother.'

'C'mon, Carrots! These chapters won't be there in the exam. That's OWL level, for Godric's sake! And as for the other matter,' he continued, trying to pull her to her feet, 'that can be remedied. I suggest we go find an empty classroom.'

'What for?' Rose frowned. Then realization struck, 'To practice those spells?'

'Nah. I wanted to snog you.'

'WHAT!'

'Of course to practice spells!'

She didn't resist after that.

ooooooo

Ten minutes after the exams had ended, Al was still shaking his head disbelievingly, 'I can't _believe_ I completely confused the Hover Charm with the Floating Charm!'

All three of them were lolling on the ground by the lake. The leaves overhead murmured in the wind and tiny rippled marred the glassy surface of the water. The sun was bidding adieu to rose-tinted clouds floating across the sky. Clusters of students chatted amongst themselves, discussing the exams or raced each other near the bank of the lake. Some threw crumbs of bread into the water and gasped and cheered when a large tentacle sneaked from the black depths to snatch them away. Hogwarts looked splendid during sunset.

'What a pity!' smirked Scorpius, answering Al's distress.

'You don't understand,' said Albus as he pulled out the crumpled question paper out of his bag, 'Just because you don't need to put an effort to study does not mean that the rest of us are the same.'

'Hey! I too need to put an effort to study. I'm just not as obsessed as you.'

'I'm _not_ obsessed!'

'Yes you are.'

'No I'm not!'

'Yes you are.'

'I'm _not_!'

'Are too,' sang Scorpius.

'Am not.'

' _Will you two do me a favour and shut up?_ ' Rose threw a clump of grass at them and massaged her forehead. 'Christ! You sound like a couple of quarrelling little girls!'

'We _do not_!'

Rose groaned. Those two idiots would drive her crazy if they kept up their chatter. The exams had been harrowing to say the least. Now all she wanted was to lie somewhere peaceful and close her eyes. She gave an enormous yawn and stretched.

'Wish we could go down to Hogsmeade.,' sighed Scorpius.

'As a matter of fact, we could,'

'Great. I need a drink badly.'

'Me too,' said Al.

'Are you coming, Carrots?'

'Nah. You two go. I'm gonna go check on Hailey and then have a nap,' she yawned again, 'I could sleep for a week.'

They left her lying there. It was well into the evening when she dusted her robes and dragged herself back to the castle. Prefect Reginns was not pleased.

oooooo

'Have you packed _all_ your undies?' Rose asked Hugo on the way down to breakfast. The Hogwarts Express would be leaving the station at precisely 11 o'clock. All needed their trunks packed and deposited near the entrance to the Great Hall to be ferried onto the train.

'Will you shut up!' hissed Hugo, turning a dark shade of scarlet, 'You'll embarrass me in front of everyone.'

Lily giggled, earning a scowl from him.

Rose snorted, 'Good. You should be familiar with that particular emotion. I had a doubt if you could feel that emotion at all. What with all the embarrassing things you do…'

Hugo yanked her hair and ran off.

'Hugo Weasley! Do that one more time and I would hex you into oblivion, I swear,' she yelled after him.

Lily giggled once again.

Once they reached the Hall, Rose made her way to the Ravenclaw table. Al and Scorpius were chatting with James while Dominique swished her hair from time to time. Many boys were eyeing her from a distance.

'Hey Rosie!' James waved, shifting to make space for her.

'You guys packed?'

Al shrugged, 'I just need to return a couple of books to the library.' James rolled his eyes.

'What are you doing over here?' Rose turned to James.

'Showing off,' snorted Dominique, 'Someone of Ravenclaw has caught his fancy.'

'What?!' all heads swiveled to her, then to James, who looked annoyed.

'Who is it?'

'Have you talked to her?'

'Is it a him or her?' followed by snorts and coughing. Al had choked on his pumpkin juice.

'Will you shut up!' scowled James.

'Tell us her name!'

'Show us.'

'James and dot dot siting on a tree/ K-I-S-S-I-N-G,' Scorpius started singing, dodging James's attempts to clamp a hand on his mouth.

'C'mon,' urged everyone, 'Tell us or it's going to get worse.'

'Alright, alright. It's Virginia Walters.'

Everybody went quiet, similar expressions of shock on all their faces. Then Dominique burst out laughing. Rose and Scorpius joined her. Al looked ill.

'What! Are you out of you mind?' he spluttered, 'She is a bloody Prefect!'

'Oh, this is rich,' Rose said, wiping tears of mirth, 'of all the girls, he had to go and fall for the one who was a Prefect,' she chuckled.

'Yeah,' agreed Scorpius, 'There goes James's career as a prankster.'

James could only hide his face in his hands and groan.

oooooo

The compartment was empty except for the three of them and their owls. Rose sat chewing her lips, pondering her next move against Al. They were playing wizarding chess. Scorpius could see that Al was taking a serious beating. Already three of his pawns were dead along with a knight and a bishop.

He turned and looked out of the window. The rugged land had long since been replaced by vast areas of plain land. Trees and shrubs wheezed past his eyes. Here and there he would find an odd cow chew grass. He had begun to spot one or two houses as well. They were drawing near to London. It was almost evening. He stretched his legs and stood up.

'Going out?' Rose looked up from the chessboard.

'Just stretching my legs. And let me see if I can find the food trolley again. I'm starved.'

'Bring me a couple of Chocolate Frogs if you can,' said Al, frowning as one of Rose's pawns walked upto his remaining bishop and punched him in the face.

'Yeah, yeah, Your Majesty,' Scorpius muttered before sliding the door shut.

It was almost dark when he returned. The chessboard had been packed away. Rose was stroking Apollo absent-mindedly while Al riffled through a magazine. The scene looked so familiar. Only that time he did not know these two. Rose and Albus. Who knew they would end up being such good friends. He shook his head and entered.

'Hey! I have some news.'

Rose stopped stroking and Al lowered the magazine to direct him a questioning look.

'I saw James trying to talk to that Walters girl.'

'Why didn't you call me? I could have witnessed his humiliation,' snorted Al.

'Hush. Let him be, Al,' frowned Rose, 'don't mess with anyone when he is love.'

'He's _not_ in love, Rosie,' shot back Al, 'wait till he finds another beautiful girl to fall out of love for Walters. I know my brother, and I am only worried for myself. Walters could make my life a living hell if she wanted to.' he finished.

Rose only shook her head, 'I know it is serious this time.'

'How can you be so sure?'

Rose only smiled a knowing smile.

'It's all a bunch of dragonshit, I'm telling you,' Al scoffed. 'It's not gonna last more than two weeks.'

Scorpius was quietly following their interaction. He barged in at this point, 'Wanna have a bet on it?'

The two turned to him surprised, then broke into identical grins. 'You are talking like a Weasley!' laughed Rose.

They arrived at King's Cross Station late into the evening. The Weasley-Potter clan could be identified by all the redheads and the insistent chatter going on among them. Rose and Al turned towards them as Scorpius peered around for his mom and dad. Then he spotted them, standing a little aloof and removed from the rest of the people at the back of the platform. He dragged his trunk down the steps and made a beeline for them.

'How was terms, honey?' his mother hugged him. He smiled.

'Great!'

Then he turned to his father. 'Hello Dad,' he murmured.

'Hello son,' then Draco went on to do something he had never done before. He went and gave Scorpius an awkward one-armed hug.

'Hey Snowy!' Rose yelled over the noise. She uttered something inaudible when he turned.

'What? I couldn't hear you…'

'I said write to us. Apollo could do with some exercise!'

'Yeah of course!'

'Have a great summer Snowy!' she grinned impishly.

'You too Carrots!' he grinned back as they walked out of the station into the busy streets of London.

oooooo

 _To be continued…_


	11. Chapter 11 Daddy Issues

_**A/N Hello everyone! It's been a while since I posted the last chapter. Couldn't make out what to write next. But here I am again, with a brand new chapter to celebrate (although belatedly) the birthday of our favourite Mr. Potter and his wonderful creator, J. K. Rowling.**_

 _ **I fully appreciate the support you people have been providing me in the meantime. A shoutout to Maya Poltergeist, Diana Black 12, vivimazin, Alyssa the Free Spirit, AMBERJANUS, AlleyJax, Alrightqueen, Ashipisawishyourheartmakes, Ennhandly, HotDiamonds15, IJMRbook, Nymeria33, Paula M, Rainbow Lava Ninjas, axelanthony, buford12, cristotwitch, gogoldie42, nina98155, schnicilein, waltraute, EzriaStydiaTrash and Indigo Angell for showing your support by favouriting, following or reviewing the story. You guys are the best!**_

 **Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling is the owner of all original Harry Potter characters.**

 **And now, without further do, I present to you the story...**

* * *

Rose had been humming to herself since morning. It was an exceptionally bright day and she had been in a good mood. _This summer holiday is turning out to be quite fun_ , she thought to herself. First of all, Mom and Dad had taken them on a trip to a Muggle amusement park as a treat for Hugo's twelfth birthday ( _and also for you to make close study of Muggle methods of working without magic_ , her Mom had whispered). It was great fun, especially with Dad getting stuck by the ingenuity of the machines every few minutes. He was turning out to be a lot like Grandpa Weasley, though with a significant lack of respect for Muggles, unlike Grandpa. _Weirdos_ , he would mutter from time to time.

Then Grandpa and Grandma Granger had paid them a visit and spoilt them rotten. They came visiting very rarely. But when they did, it was always wonderful. Grandpa Granger was a great storyteller and could recount any mundane incident with such humour that it was hard not to laugh. Grandma Granger would fondly talk about Mom's childhood which fascinated Rose to no end. She often found her habits similar to Mom's childhood ones.

And of course there was the day she had outwitted her own brother. He had set dungbombs under her bed (the sheets smelt to high heavens for a week). And she had retaliated by setting a handful of spiders in his closet. His terrified screams were reward enough.

Rose continued humming and smiling to herself as she folded her spare tees and clean school robes. She loved the smell of fresh laundry. She took a lungful of the smell and sighed blissfully. Life seemed so peacefully.

She should have known.

She began depositing the folded clothes in her trunk one over the other. She was very methodical whilst packing, unlike Hugo, who waited till the last moment to throw everything pell-mell into his trunk and then stamp on it to shut the lid.

She shifted some of the other articles in the trunk to make space.

 _Clink._

Something dislodged and fell to the bottom of the trunk. Farrowing her brows, she craned her neck to find out what. But whatever it was, it had skittered off to some corner. She did not want to jumble the arranged clothes. So she fished about under them until her fingers closed on something smooth and cold. And oval. She pulled it out with care, and frowned.

Scorp's pendant sat winking in her palm.

She frowned again. If her memory served her right, she had taken great care to wrap it in paper, tie it with a string and place it at the furthest corner of the trunk. For some reason or the other, she had never gotten to tell anyone of the pendant. Neither had she worn it ( _it's too delicate_ , she had argued with herself.) And she had not taken it out from its place so far. Then how come it lay unwrapped and dislodged from its place, she wondered. Unless…

Her nostrils flared as her temper rose _. That mangy old git_. She was going to _strangle_ him.

'Mom!' she yelled, stowing the pendant away, 'Mom, Hugo has been riffling my things again!'

She skipped down the stairs, looking out for the scamp. Wait till I get my hands on him, she muttered under her breath, he's going to rue the day he was born.

'Mom!' she yelled again.

Her mother strode into the dining space, Crookshanks purring in her arms, 'What is it, Rosie?'

'Mom, Hugo has been going through my things again!'

She crossed her arms and scowled. Her mother put down Crookshanks and straightened. 'Are you sure he had?'

'Yes! I know when my trunk has been riffled through. And there is no one else in this house callous enough to go through someone else's things,' she snapped.

Her mother sighed (which suspiciously sounded like ' _There is'_ ). 'Go find him. I'll have a talk with him,' she said.

ooooo

Hugo had been sulking since the little 'talk' with his mother. He threw Rose dirty looks during dinner as he stabbed his vegetables with unnecessary force. Rose looked smug.

'What's going on?' Dad quirked his brow, sensing the tension brewing between his two children.

'Oh nothing. Sibling rivalry. You should know,' Mom passed him the potatoes.

Hugo glowered.

'What about?' asked Dad.

'He riffled through my things, so Mom had a little talk with him. It was nothing,' Rose answered.

'It was _not_ nothing!' Hugo looked ready to burst. 'I just wanted a bit of a string.'

'And so you had to go through my entire trunk, was it?'

'Don't behave like you're hiding some huge secret in that trunk. The most boring trunk I have ever seen,' he smirked, 'except for the pendant. Who is it from, Big Sis? '

'Someone who is a lot better mannered than you, Little Bro.'

'Oooo…Is it from Snowy?' he teased.

'Shut up.'

Dad looked up from his plate. 'Who's Snowy?'

'Oh it's Scorpius. I call him Snowy,' Rose shrugged and stabbed her broccoli. She continued eating until it began to dawn on her that something was not right. The table had gone unusually quiet. She looked up into the uneasy silence.

Her parents had frozen. Dad had a stunned expression on his which as slowly turning crimson while Mom looked from one to the other, her face a mask of apprehension.

Rose felt puzzled. Surely her parents were not so prejudiced that they would judge Scorpius by his parentage.

How wrong she was. Apparently her dad did.

'Did you say Scorpius?' he asked in a deadly quiet voice.

'Well…yes, but – '

'Scorpius Malfoy?' he continued, fixing her with a cold stare.

'Yes, but Dad – '

Her explanations were drowned by the loud bang of his fist connecting with the dinner table.

'THAT NASTY LITTLE SLIMEBALL!'

Rose gasped at his outburst.

'Ron!' her mother hissed and tried to grab his hand. He jerked it away.

'Just like his father! Weaseling into the good side now that the dark side is defeated.'

'Ron! This is ridiculous. Think what you're uttering!'

'I know what I'm saying 'Mione.' He turned to Rose, who had her mouth hanging open. 'How did this happen?'

'W-what do you mean?' she stammered under his furious glare. Hugo was fidgeting in his seat.

'How long have you been 'friends'?'

'Since second year.'

Dad's face now resembled his hair. 'BLOODY HELL!'

'Dad!'

'Ron!'

He continued swearing. When finally he was able to make coherent sentences, he said, 'You are going to return him that pendant.'

Rose's fingers tightened around her fork. 'Why?' she asked.

'Because I said so.'

'He is my friend. I will not do anything to cause him hurt without sufficient explanation.'

'Well. Here's a little information for you, little missy. You are no longer going to be friends with him. Not as long as I live.'

'But Dad – '

'For Merlin's sake, Rosie! He's a Malfoy!'

Another gasp escaped her lips. _Her own father?_

'What's wrong about being a Malfoy?' she asked, taking care not to let her temper rise. It was an already volatile situation.

'He is a pureblood.'

'And why is that wrong? You are a pureblood too,' she argued.

Her father's face contorted in rage. 'You do not know a thing,' he spat. 'You do not know what his family did to us. What his father did to us. Did he ever talk about that?'

Rose could only shake her head.

'I thought so too.'

'But he is not his father! You don't know Scorpius!' she pressed on. 'You haven't even met him!'

'I don't care. He is a Malfoy. And you are to stay away from all Malfoys in general.'

How could a perfect evening go downhill so quickly, Rose wondered. She was witnessing a new side of her father; it did not please her one bit. She had never imagined that her own father would have such a narrow outlook. And she couldn't keep silent about it anymore. How could she have been so wrong?

'You are just like them,' she whispered.

'What did you say?' her father narrowed his eyes. Her mother had sat slack-jawed through the exchange. Her eyes seemed to widen further.

Rose took a deep breath to control her boiling anger. 'You are just like them. Only it's purebloods instead of mudblood.'

Her father gaped at her. 'W-what?' he managed to stutter at length.

'You are just like the sneering purebloods. You look down upon anyone who is a pureblood. You judge people by their parentage. And you pass judgment without any solid proof. You are no different.'

'Rosie!'

'DON'T YOU DARE DEFEND HIM, MOM!' she whirled around, her rage finally breaking. ' _You_ taught me to look at a person's soul and not his background. _You_ wanted me to befriend anyone who was good at heart, irrespective of his House. _You_ taught me to give a person another chance. _You_ showed me how to find goodness in another being,' she paused, 'And all this time, you sat quiet while Dad was being a hypocrite. _Tell me if I'm wrong_.'

'YOU DON'T KNOW THE MALFOYS!' her father shouted. Hugo crouched in his chair. Crookshanks hissed angrily and disappeared behind the cupboard.

'YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HIS BELOVED GREAT AUNT BELLATRIX DID TO YOUR MOTHER!' he went on. 'She tortured her. She used the Cru—'

'ENOUGH!' her mother was glowering at him now. She threw down the napkin and stood up. 'That's enough. I don't want another word from either of you.'

'No, Ron,' she held up her hand when he opened his mouth to protest. 'Rosie,' she turned to her daughter, 'go up to your room. I'll have a talk with you later.'

Rose pushed away her chair and walked out of the room. Her brother followed her quietly. She could hear Mom arguing with Dad as she climbed the stairs. Her legs felt wobbly, her throat was not working properly and her eyes prickled. Her brother wished her goodnight quietly at the landing. She kept on walking until she reached her room and closed the door.

And then she slid onto the floor and wept till her tears ran dry.

oooooo

She continued sitting huddled on the floor, with her chin tucked between her knees long after the tears had stopped falling. The house was quiet. A cool breeze sent shadows dancing across the floor. She sniffed.

A sudden white shadow caught her glance. She looked up. Hailey had returned from her hunting. She flew into the room and hopped beside her mistress. Rose uncurled her fingers and stroked her, making the owl close her eyes in bliss.

'Grown-ups can be so immature sometimes,' she mused, sighing deeply.

Hailey hooted her agreement.

oooooo

Scorpius sat reading and rereading the letter Rose had sent him this morning. She sounded angry, even though he couldn't figure out what she was furious about. She had not been very specific. All he could gather from the hastily written missive was that she had a fight with her dad, which was strange (she had a great relation with her father), and that she thought grown-ups were more immature than kids.

He rubbed his eyes and yawned. It was still early morning and he was not yet awake properly. He would still be asleep if Hailey had not proceeded to peck him to death. She now sat quietly, like the well-behaved owl she was, eyeing him with benign interest. Apollo sent her interested looks.

'What has gotten her so mad?' he asked the owl, drawing out his writing desk and picking his quill. 'Any idea?'

She blinked and hooted. Apollo puffed up his feathers and slid a step towards her.

Scorpius snorted. He scratched his head on what to write before scribbling a few vague consoling words (honestly, how was he supposed to send support unless he knew what he was supporting her against). Then he carefully rolled it up and offered it to the owl. She clamped it in her beak and swept out into the morning light like a gracefully floating feather in a gentle breeze. Poor Apollo deflated a little.

'No luck there, boy. You just have to try harder next time,' chuckled Scorpius as he climbed into bed and closed his eyes again.

ooooo

Scorpius was busy sorting through his trunk next morning, looking for what he would take with him and what he would leave behind, when he heard a soft knock on the door. Wondering why her mother was knocking when she usually never bothered to, he called out 'come in' and went back to sorting his trunk.

'I see you are busy.'

His head whipped around at the familiar yet strange voice.

His father never came to his room without his mother. Yet there he stood, hesitating to come in. Scorpius stared.

'Perhaps I should come later,' his father turned to go.

'No no no! Stay.' Scorpius quickly got up and pulled out a chair.

His father hesitated a bit before walking into his room and sitting down. He looked around. The room was a mixture of colours. The red and gold of his Gryffindor robes and scarves stood in stark contrast to the green and silver upholstery and drapes of the room. One or two Ravenclaw flags also fluttered from his desk (he had cheered Al when he played against the Hufflepuffs in the previous session). Pictures of his favourite Quidditch team were pasted all over the room. They waved and showed off their moves at intervals. They helped to dispel the loneliness Scorpius felt whenever he came home. There were no portraits in the house to talk to. The only picture he had was of Rose and Al, laughing at him from the frame (well, Al laughed while Rose gave him bunny ears.)

Dad cleared his throat and gulped. 'How's school?' he asked.

'Wonderful as always,' Scorpius replied cautiously.

His father nodded, 'Made any new friends?'

'Not many. But Albus and I are best friends. And Rose is a good friend too,' he replied.

His father stiffened visibly, 'You mean Albus Potter?'

'Yes. And Rose Weasley.'

'A-and you are good friends, you say?'

'Yes. Best friends,' Scorpius wondered where this was heading.

When his father kept quiet, he questioned, 'You don't like me being friends with the Potters?'

'No, it's not that.' His father clasped and unclasped his hands. 'I just want you to be careful around them.'

'Why?'

His father looked more uneasy, if possible. 'You see,' he cleared his throat, 'I have never been on great terms with the Weasleys and the Potters. We were, so to say, enemies at school.'

Scorpius frowned, 'Yes I know you were enemies. There is something that happened between you people in the past, though I don't know what it is. But how does it affect _us_?'

His father cleared his throat again, 'I was not a very nice person in my youth. I said and did things that I am ashamed of now. Needless to say, some of them were directed at the Weasleys and. And they never forgave me for that.' He grew morose, rubbing the slight bump on his nose.

Scorpius observed his father. He was a fine man, with the hereditary good looks of a Malfoy. The only signs of aging were his receding hairline and the crinkles around his eyes and mouth. He looked tired. As if he carried an enormous burden on his shoulders all the time.

'Dad?'

His father turned his silver gaze on him.

'Is it something to do with their blood status?'

The blood drained from his father's face. 'H-how did you know?' he stammered.

Scorpius shrugged. It was not difficult to guess when his grandfather spewed such filthy utterances whenever he could.

'I was a malleable young man. I didn't know what was right. I was too blind to look past the power that Dad yielded,' his father mumbled.

Scorpius found himself pitying a young man, mercilessly bullied and brainwashed into thinking what his father thought was right. His grandfather was very cruel and manipulative in that sense. He got up and walked upto his father.

'It's alright Dad,' he said, squeezing his father's shoulders. 'And don't worry. They are my best friends. In fact, Rose is a fiercely loyal one. She defended me in my first year. Though I was a real prat to her until Second year.'

His father smiled a faint smiled. 'Is she bossy?'

'You have no idea! But Al and I manage to subdue her most of the time.'

His father chuckled and listened to him describe his friends and their adventures with enthusiasm. It was his mother who broke the cozy scene and announced that lunch was ready.

Scorpius couldn't stop smiling all day long.

* * *

 _To be continued..._

 ** _Please review, good people!_**


	12. Chapter 12 Diagon Alley

_**A/N I have been mulling over how to proceed with this year. Scorpious, Albus and Rose are now in their fourth year, which is a crucial point in their career as well as life. I'm still not entirely sure how this is going to end. If any of you good people have any suggestions, do share (PM me or simply leave a review; anything will do).**_

 _ **In the meantime, I must thank all those who added this humble tale to their following board. A shoutout to Nicknack2814, xXxPunkPrincess2894xXx, ilovepie123, Sroman and the unnamed guest who was eager to read the next chapter. This one's for you…**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

The bright rays of the sun hit Rose squarely on the eyes, making her groan and bury her face in the pillow. She did not want to wake up. Not yet. She was having an amusing dream where she was a knight slashing away at a dragon that looked vaguely like her dad. And there was Scorpius, crouching behind a boulder and gasping at every blast of fire the dragon blew his way. She closed her eyes and tried to bring back the dream so that she could write to Scorpius about it later and share a laugh.

But the stupid alarm clock chose that precise moment to go off in a skull-numbing trill and drove away all images of knights and dragons from her mind. It was a magical gift from Grandma Weasley and could adjust itself to ring exactly when a person should be getting up. But she didn't want to get up yet. Yawning, she fumbled to get hold of the offending object. As was her luck, however, she only managed to topple it to the ground where it lay, trilling with all its might and driving her crazy into the bargain.

 _Drat it._ Now she had to leave the cozy, snuggly bed and get up after all. Muttering some well-chosen obscenities under her breath, she pushed back the coverlet and picked up the clock. It was nine o'clock already. Mom would be busy making breakfast. Dad would be reading the _Daily Prophet_ and grumbling about some 'insufferable' article written by 'that Skeeter woman'. And Hugo would probably still be in bed. She smirked.

Her little brother had been exceptionally quiet these past two days. He tiptoed around her like she was some vicious animal that might bite off his legs at the merest provocation. Come to think of it, almost everybody has been doing that since the 'incident' at the dinner table. Dad had a new respect in his eyes when he looked at her, even though he refused to come out of his sulk. Only her mother had been unaffected by her outburst (she seemed pleased, to be precise.)

She gave another jaw-locking yawn and stretched, before shuffling towards the chair to pull on her robe. It had been a tiring two nights in a row. The night before last, she had been up most of the night, crying her eyes out at the rawness of the betrayal she felt at her father's hands; and then spending the last couple of hours to decide how to tell Scorp about her state of mind without betraying the reason. It had been mentally exhausting, to say the least.

And last night, she and Mom had had a long serious talk about all that had happened. They had ended up discussing the Great War. Mom had revealed certain incidents that she had never got to read in the textbooks. She could recall the conversation word by word.

' _I know how you are feeling,' her mother had said._

 _She had kept quiet, sulking in a corner, refusing to look. Her mother had sat beside her, stroking her hair and speaking all the while._

' _You are feeling betrayed, wondering why of all persons did your Dad have to be so narrow-minded. You are wondering why is it that we, as your parents, have always encouraged you to look past prejudices and yet discriminated against the Malfoys; why we cannot practice what we preached. Tell me if I'm wrong, Rosie.'_

 _She had just sniffed and turned her face to the wall. 'I don't want you to explain anything. I'm fine.'_

' _No, you're not fine,' her mother had insisted. 'But you will be, once you hear why your father behaved as he did last night.'_

' _I don't need any justification.'_

' _Yes you do.' And her mother had started talking of the Great War._

' _The history you read is not the entire story that happened in the Great War. There are many incidents that were hushed up or omitted or simply never revealed by the victims. We all are victims of the war. I, Dad, Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny, Scorpius, his father – we all have scars, visible or invisible. And each of us chooses to cope with it the best way we can.'_

' _Your dad is a brave man. He doesn't show his scars easily. He has every reason to be scared and angry with the Malfoys, whereas you don't. Lucius Malfoy was a dangerous man. He was responsible for the reopening of the chamber of secrets and putting Aunt Ginny's life in danger. Yes,' she had continued at Rose's gasp, 'it was hushed up by the Ministry as he was a powerful man and you'll never find it mentioned in any of your history books.'_

' _Again during our fifth year, he was indirectly responsible for almost taking Grandpa Weasley's life and that of your father's. Not only that, Bellatrix Lestrange, who you know as Voldemort's right hand and who was also related to the Malfoys, had killed Sirius Black. And she was responsible for giving me this,' her mother had pulled down the neck of her tee and revealed a thin scar at her throat. 'So you must not judge him if he turns protective when he hears the name 'Malfoy'.'_

' _But how come you are ok with my being friends with Scorpius?' she had asked._

' _Because I don't think Scorpius is a bad person. Neither was his father. At least not as bad as his father. But sometimes situations can make a person take horrible decisions.'_

' _His father was forced to join the Deatheaters at the risk of losing his life,' her mother had nodded when Rose had turned her astonished eyes at her. 'Yes, even though he has been portrayed as an enthusiastic Deatheater by all the contemporary magazines and newspapers, he never wanted to be one. Unfortunately, he was never given a choice in the matter.'_

' _He is as scarred by the war as we all are. May be more so than us. Even his son has to bear the burden of a tainted past that many of us refuse to forget.'_

' _How did you get that scar?' Rose had asked._

' _It's a long story.'_

 _Her mother had answered her questions patiently, often talking of incidents that were never mentioned in the text books or other History books. She told Rose of how they had to steal food to survive in the wild; how Uncle Harry had to perform the Imperius curse (one of the unforgivable curses, according to the Ministry of Magic) to break into the Gringotts vault; she talked of the bravery of Dobby, the elf who had rescued them from the Malfoy Manor at the cost of his own life (her history books only mentioned him as an elf who died in the war)._

' _Don't believe everything you read, Rosie. I am proud that you let your heart be the judge of a person, irrespective of his past. These history books are nothing but glorifications of war. They who write them do not know the actual situation; how sometimes good people make terrible decisions and bad people become heroic in the face of danger. They only try and paint one side black to glorify the other. There is no such thing as black and white in war.'_

 _Rose had watched her wide-eyed as she took a deep breath and smiled. 'I'm proud of you, Rosie. I'm proud of the fact that you and Al have taken pains to befriend a young terrified boy, who must have faced censor and abuse at the hands of others. And I'm proud that you had the courage to stand up to your own father to defend him.'_

' _But what if Scorpius is as bad as his grandfather?'_

 _Her mother had smiled, 'Have you ever felt scared of him so far?'_

' _No.'_

' _There you have it. I trust your judgment, Rosie. You should do too.'_

' _But what about Dad? He doesn't approve. And now that I heard what you said, I feel so guilty.'_

' _Don't worry about Daddy. He and I had a talk. He'll come around soon. And who knows,' her mother had added, winking, 'perhaps someday we might even have your Scorpius join us at dinner.'_

' _He's not_ _my_ _Scorpius. He's just my best friend. Like Al.'_

' _Whatever you say dear,' her Mom had answered. 'Now go to sleep.'_

 _She had tucked her in bed, and left after kissing her goodnight._

Rose tied the sash of her robe and picked up her hairbrush as snatches of last night's conversation floated in her mind. My Scorpius indeed, she snorted, brushing her hair into a semblance. How could Mom even have such an idea, she wondered. Scorpius was just – well, Scorpius.

She shook her head, laughing at the ridiculous notion. Wait till Scorp and Al hears of it, she told herself. She padded down to the kitchen, giving a customary knock on Hugo's door on her way.

ooooo

Scorpius was having breakfast with his parents when a familiar brown owl swooped into their midst and dropped a heavy envelope on his lap. It took a small drink from his glass of water and swooped out as quickly as it came. Scorpius took up the envelope. It was from Hogwarts. The results would be inside along with a long list of books and equipments. He gave a cursory glance at his report card before placing it in the outstretched hand of his mother. His father bent his head to take a closer look.

He pulled out the list and began going through it.

 _HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

Set Books

 _All students should have a copy of each of the following:_

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 4) _by Miranda Goshawk_

A Revised History of Magic _by Rebelus Warwick_

Magical Theory: New and Improved Spells _by Adalbert Waffling and Gilbert Hexington_

Intermediate Transfiguration (Book 2) _by Emeric Switch_

Magical Healing Plants and Diabolical Killing Herbs _by Phyllida Spore_

Magic in a Cauldron _by Aura Cloryne_

Of Threstrals and Thunderbirds: A Study of Magical Beasts Worldwide _by Newt Scamander_

The Darkest Incantations: A Guide to Self-Preservation _by Fidelo Cantico_

The list went on about all the extra subject text-books he would be needing in fourth year. Then there were specific potion ingredients that would need a visit to the apothecary. Scorpius kept reading and cataloguing the places he would have to visit in his mind, until he came to the last line.

'Dress robes?!'

His parents looked up from the report card.

He squinted at the cursive writing. 'Students must also acquire a set of dress robes along with the usual school robes,' he read out loud and looked at his parents. They smiled and went back to breaking their fast.

'Are there any special occasions this year?' he turned to his father.

'Not that I'm aware of. But then again, the Ministry and I are hardly on great terms.'

Scorpius looked down at the list and frowned. What would they need dress robes for?

He wolfed down his portion of scrambled eggs and toast before hurrying off to send an owl to Al. May be he would know something.

ooooo

'Are you guys set?' asked Dad from downstairs.

Rose tugged at her top and fiddled with her unruly tresses.

Hugo raised his eyebrows. 'Are you done?' he asked, 'Al and Lily would be meeting us at Florean's.'

Rose gave one last desperate tug to settle her hair and then nodded. 'Let's go.'

Dad was waiting near the fireplace, holding the tub of Floo Powder. 'Step in,' he said, as she checked to see if she had forgotten the list or the money pouch. Then she took a pinch of the powder, threw it into the flames and stepped in.

'Wait for me near Florean's,' Hugo reminded her.

She nodded and shouted 'Diagon Alley' before disappearing into the green flames.

When she emerged from the fireplace of Florian's, it was full. Students were teeming everywhere. Newly selected kids stood in a queue to get their own wands from Ollivander's. Others tagged along behind their harried parents, pointing to various articles displayed on the windows.

Rose took another peek at the corner. Al and Lily were nowhere in sight. She sighed and sat down at a chair outside the ice-cream parlour to wait for Dad and Hugo.

'Hey Carrots!'

She whipped around as Scorpius came into sight, Al and Lily in tow.

'Fancy seeing you here!' he teased her.

'Same goes for you, Snowy.'

They grinned at each other.

'Where's Uncle Ron?' asked Lily.

Right on cue, Dad and Hugo came out of the fireplace in a cloud of soot.

'Ah! There you are!' said Dad, brushing soot from his purple uniform, before his eyes fell upon Scorpius. His face darkened.

Rose looked at Al looked back helplessly. Finally Lily diffused the situation.

'Scorp, this is my uncle, Ron Weasley,' she said, before turning to Dad. 'Uncle Ron, this is Scorpius Malfoy. He's Al's best friend.'

'How d'you do, sir. It's a great honour to finally meet you,' Scorpius extended his hand. Dad continued scowling till Rose nudged him. Then he shook his hand briefly before turning away and stalking towards the Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes building.

'Don't mind Dad,' said Rose. 'He is a bit discomfited about the notion of a Malfoy being a Gryffindor.'

'Don't worry. I too feel the same,' mumbled Scorpius.

'Yeah, he had a great ro-ouch!' Hugo winced and scowled at Rose. 'Why did you stamp on my toes?'

Why would I stamp on your toes?!' asked Rose innocently.

'You did that on purpose!'

'I didn't.'

Scorpius and Al were looking at the exchange with considerable interest. Rose turned to Al, completely ignoring Hugo's glare. 'Where's Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny?'

'Oh. Mom is catching up with Uncle George and Dad has gone to Flourish and Blotts's to buy Lily's books.'

'We need to buy our books too,' said Hugo. 'I'm going to go find Dad.' He walked away. Lily bid them a quick goodbye and hurried after him.

'You shouldn't allow her to roam about alone in a place like this,' Scorpius frowned, watching Lily's bobbing curls disappear into the crowd. 'She might get lost!'

'Nah. She won't. You don't know her. She is smarter than us lot put together. Even James is scared of her tricks most of the time.'

Rose gave an amused snort. 'Let's go and pick our Potions supplies,' she said.

oooooo

Half an hour later, they walked into the sunlight laden with packages.

'Let's see,' said Al, pulling out his crumpled list, 'we are yet to visit Madame Malkin's and Flourish and Blotts.'

'Let's go to Florean's first. I'm parched,' said Rose, struggling to hold all the packages and looking exhausted.

They went inside, giving a sigh of relief at the cool interior and settled down on stuffed chairs. Florean had been kidnapped in the war and came out in public very rarely these days. It was one of his employees, a freckled, gap-toothed wizard who came forward to take their orders.

'Three chocolate and vanilla sundaes please,' ordered Rose. The wizard gave her a cheeky grin as he wrote down the order. Scorpius scowled.

'What?' she asked.

'That guy was flirting with you!'

'No he wasn't. He was being nice,' said Rose.

'No, he wasn't. I saw him looking at you even before we walked into the parlour.'

'Really?! I'm flattered,' sniggered Rose.

'Hmmmph!'

'Don't 'hmph' me, Malfoy!'

'Ah! Is that how it is, _Weasley_?'

Al raised one of his imperial eyebrows. 'Will you two lovebirds shut up? Lord! You two sound like old married couples.'

'That's riddiculous,' they both shouted at once. Rose blushed before breaking into giggles.

'Merlin. It feels so good to see you guys!' she said, taking a deep breath and sighing in contentment. 'I can't wait to go back to school.'

'Speaking of which,' said Scorpius, 'do you have any idea why they requested dress robes?'

'Nah, mate. No idea. But we'll find out soon enough. In a week, to be precise.'

Rose looked apprehensive. 'I've never worn dress robes before,' she said.

'I bet you'll look great in them.'

'We'll find out that too, once we visit Madam Malkin's,' said Al, earning a scuff from Rose.

They finished their icecreams in companionable silence, before collecting their numerous packages and walking towards the slightly less crowded Madam Malkin's.

Robes of various shapes and sizes were displayed on mannequins that posed and preened on the window displays. The air inside smelled of starch and new fabric. The girls' and boys' sections were separated by a heavy curtain and workers fleeted from side to side, fetching bolts of fabric or helping Madame Malkin herself in pinning the hems of a robe.

'Hogwarts, dears?' she asked as soon as they stepped into the shop. They nodded. She told them to wait just a little while, whilst she completed pinning the robes of a fussy boy. Then it was their turn.

'Ah! Dress robes! My favourite!' she exclaimed, before bustling around. 'Now before we proceed with the cut, I want you gentlemen to look at a few chosen fabrics.'

She led them to a corner where more than a hundred bolts of cloths lay gathered. Scorpius and Al looked at each other and gulped. This was going to be more difficult than they thought.

It took them more than three quarters of an hour to find their choice materials. Scorpius's fabric was royal blue velvet, while Al picked up a dark green to go with his eyes.

'What do you think?' they held up their choices to Rose, who nodded and gave them the thumbs up.

Once they have been stood up on a stool, they were poked and prodded to an inch of their life, putting on and pulling off robes to try the correct cut, until Madame pronounced herself satisfied and let them climb down.

'Next time they ask for dress robes,' said Al, licking on a red pin prick on his wrist, 'I'm dropping out of school.'

Rose rolled her eyes. 'Great idea! Now help me choose my fabric,' she said, ignoring their combined groans.

Twenty minutes later, they were still searching for that elusive colour. Most colours clashed with her unique hair, which displeased her to no end. And the boys were not helping much.

'What do you think of this?' she asked, picking up a peach fabric and holding it against her body.

'You'll look lovely,' said Scorpius. Al nodded vaguely. She gave a sigh and threw down the cloth.

'No I won't. I'll look horrible. And don't you deny it. You're just saying it to mollify me.'

'I was being a gentleman.'

'Well, I don't want you to be a gentleman now. I want you to be my best friend and tell me the truth.'

'Ok. Fine,' Scorpius huffed. 'You'd look washed out in it.'

Rose sat down dejected. 'What am I to do now?'

'Wait.'

Scorpius gave her a slow, appraising glance before shifting through the fabrics and pulling out an apple-green one. 'Here. Try this.'

She did. And it was perfect. It did not clash with her Titian hair; and it brought out the pink glow of her skin. She squealed (which she had never done before) and hurried to find Madame Malkin.

'Girls,' Al shook his head with much feeling.

ooooo

 _To be continued..._

 _ **Please leave you valuable reviews! I do treasure them so…**_


	13. Chapter 13 Triwizard Champions

_**A/N Here's another chapter for all you who have been waiting for it patiently! As always, any kind of support is appreciated. A special thanks to nina98155 and AMBERJANUS for providing valuable ideas for the next chapter. And a shoutout to Long-Days-and-Nights and Shannykinz0327 for showing your support.**_

 **Disclaimer: The original characters of Harry Potter are express property of J. K. Rowling. I only own the story and the mistakes.**

* * *

'I can't wait for this Sorting to be over,' said Rose impatiently, tapping her fingers on the table beside her polished plate.

They were assembled at the Great Hall and witnessing the famous Sorting ceremony. Professor Longbottom read out the names from a scroll of parchment and the particular boy or girl would stumble out of the line and put on the Sorting Hat. Then the Hat shouted out the House name he or she had been sorted into and the student would go and join the particular House table. Usually most students enjoyed the ceremony and cheered the new students quite enthusiastically, clapping and catcalling. James and Henry were the loudest of the Gryffindor lot. This time, however, the students appeared restless and agitated, discussing the sudden request of a dress-robe and wondering what important occasion would be announced after the feast.

Two more students got Sorted into Gryffindor. There was a moderate amount of applause. Rose tsked and started tapping her foot next. Scorpius craned his neck to find what Al was doing. Al waved back from the Ravenclaw table, pointed to the Sorting Hat and mimicked falling over in his sleep, making neighbouring Ravenclaws snigger. Scorpius mouthed 'me too' and turned to face the front.

There were only two more students to be Sorted.

'Williams, William,' called out Professor Longbottom.

A flaxen-haired boy marched up to the Hat like a rebel stepping up the gallows.

'HUFFLEPUFF!'

He walked off as 'Zimmerman, Louisa' walked up and put it on.

'RAVENCLAW!'

The cheering was deafening this time, making the poor girl blush and almost run off. She was greeted by the Ravenclaw Prefect, Virginia Walters and had her hand shaken by a dozen others.

'Why cant's they make the bloody announcement and be done with it,' Rose grumbled as the plates in front of them filled with mouth-watering delicacies. 'I can hardly eat anything in this suspense.'

'Much as I disapprove of a young lady swearing,' said Nearly Headless Nick, floating in to join the table, 'I can't help agreeing with Miss Rose this time. They are deliberated delaying the announcement.'

'Hello Nick!' said James, 'How's the Headless Hunt going?'

'As pathetically as ever,' sighed the Gryffindor ghost. 'I didn't know my own head could be so stubborn. It refuses to detach itself from my body. One would think one deserves a break once in every few centuries. But no. It was stuck on my shoulders the day I was born and it has vowed to stick to it till the day I die.'

'B-but you're already dead!' said Hazel Thompson, a newly Sorted Gryffindor.

'One hardly needs reminding of the fact,' said Nick, a bit offended. He started floating away to join the other ghosts.

'Don't worry,' Scorpius assured the distraught girl, 'he'll come around. He's a very friendly ghost.'

A sudden tinkling from the High table drew everybody's attention. The Hall grew quiet like a Silencing charm has been cast on it. Headmistress McGonagall slowly came to her feet and swept a sharp glance across the four tables. All had their eyes fixed on her.

'Now that we are Sorted, fed and rested, I would like to make a few important announcements,' she said. 'First of all, first years should remember that the Dark Forest is out of bounds for _all_ students.' Her stern gaze swivelled towards James and Henry, who whispered 'bollocks' and looked guilty.

'Secondly, no magic is allowed between lessons, especially in the corridors, as Mr. Filch, our respected caretaker, has specifically asked me to notify the first year students and remind the rest of them.'

Rose started fidgeting again. 'I wish she would hurry up,' she muttered to Scorpius. He nodded, frowning, his eyes fixed on the headmistress.

'And thirdly –' McGonagall paused. Students were sitting up a little straighter, some craning to catch a glimpse of the High table. '– the most important announcement that you all have been waiting for. I'm proud to announce that our school will be hosting the quadrennial Cedric Diggory Memorial Service this year. However,' she held out her hands to quieten the sudden buzz of whispers that had started, 'this year also happens to be the twenty-fifth anniversary of Cedric Diggory's death. So in his honour, we have decided to throw a ball on Christmas this time.'

The whispers had started again, this time with renewed urgency.

'A _ball_?'

'On _Christmas_?'

'I _bet_ there'll be dancing.'

'Wow!'

'I would request all of you,' continued McGonagall in a louder tone, 'to be on your best behaviour as there are guests involved. Some of the most prestigious dignitaries would be gracing our school with their presence. And I don't want anyone of you to create a bad impression on them.' She swept a stern look across the tables. Then she smiled. 'Prefects, please lead your new charges to their respective dormitories. I'm sure they are all tired. And the rest of you, off to bed.'

ooooo

'A Cedric Diggory Memorial ball! Wow!' said Al, as they climbed the stairs together. He had joined them as soon as the students started filling out. 'He's a fascinating character.'

Rose rolled her eyes. 'There we go again. The history geek.'

Scorpius frowned, 'Fascinating? How so?'

'He was one of the school champions during the last Triwizard Tournament that was held in this school. Dad was in his fourth year during that time. It was the only instance when the Goblet of Fire chose four champions instead of three.'

When the other two looked puzzled he explained, 'The Triwizard Tournament is held between three magical schools, and the Goblet of Fire chooses one student from each school as its champion to compete against one another in the three tasks that is set. But the last time the tournament was held, the Goblet was Confunded into choosing a fourth champion – Dad.'

'Wow,' breathed Scorpius. Rose was listening too.

'Yes. Two Hogwarts champions. Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter. Cedric was a seventh year. He was a very popular student – brilliant in studies, a loyal friend, Quidditch Captain, mild mannered, good-looking – Dad said he was very popular among the girls – many wept when he was killed – Dad never talks much of how he was murdered – '

'Voldemort,' whispered Rose.

'Yes. Dad says it's too traumatic to recall all that. All I know is Cedric and my Dad were transported to the graveyard by the Triwizard Cup portkey and Cedric was killed there. His death is believed to be the cornerstone marking the beginning of the Second Wizarding War, as it was the day Voldemort was resurrected. Since then Diggory's death has been celebrated as an occasion to promote unity and friendship between wizards and witches across continents. It was a tradition Dumbledore had started. Two years after the Great War ended, Hogwarts hosted the first of these services. It has been doing so every four years ever since.' Al stopped and drew in a breath.

'Wow,' said Rose quietly. 'All I knew was he was handsome and he was murdered by Voldemort.'

Scorpius's mouth hung open. 'How do you know all this stuff?' he asked.

Al shrugged, 'I love reading about the past.'

'You sure do,' he said, as they parted on the landing.

ooooo

'So –' said Amanda, as she and Rose walked to their Transfiguration class, '– any idea who you'll be going to the ball with?'

'Amanda. The ball is _ages_ away,' said Rose, dragging her heavy satchel with one hand while trying to read her Transfiguration essay held in the other.

'I know. But everybody is busy asking everybody else,' said Amanda.

'Well, unlike everyone else, I have better things to do.'

'But if we don't ask now we'll be the only persons without a date,' argued Amanda.

Rose gave an exasperated sigh. Amanda had a habit of pestering her till she gave her a suitable answer. 'Please come to the point, Amy. I know you are trying to tell me something, but I'm not in a state of mind to puzzle it out by myself.'

'Very well then,' said Amanda, taking a deep breath, 'would you mind if I were to ask James?'

' _James_?'

'Your cousin, James Potter,' Amanda blushed.

'James?' repeated Rose, this time with the hint of a snort. 'No. Why would I mind? Go ahead. And Good luck.'

'Good luck with what?' Scorpius had joined them.

'Nothing!' squeaked Amanda, flushing red.

'Amy was discussing dates for the ball,' smirked Rose.

'Dates? _Now_?'

'Yeah. I too had the same reaction,' she chuckled.

They walked into the classroom and took their seats. This was a combined class. With the Slytherins. As always, some of them were ready with snide remarks and whispers as Rose slid into the seat beside Amanda.

'Who are you going with to the ball, Weasley?' said Daphne Nott, a fellow fourth year Slytherin.

'Has anybody even asked you, Weasley?' smirked Corbus Goyle.

Scorpius glared back from his seat, 'Leave her alone.'

'Oooo. The Malfoy scum to the rescue of the damsel in distress.'

Rose slowly walked up to Goyle and stage-whispered, 'Well, this damsel in distress is quite capable of hexing you so well that your own mother would not recognize you, let alone a 'date' to the ball. This is just a warning. Next time you feel like growing some ugly rash all over your face, just call my friend scum.' She gave him a sickly sweet smile and calmly resumed her seat.

The poor boy could only open and close his mouth like a fish, trying hard to process what she had said, while the rest of the class sniggered. Nobody else dared to pass any snide comment after that. They all knew Rose would follow her threat to the letter.

'You need not have done that,' admonished Scorpius, even though he could not control the smile creeping into his face.

'You bet I did. They should know better to pick on you.'

'Thanks Rose.'

She shrugged and smiled as Professor McGonagall strode into the classroom and rapped sharply on the desk with her wand.

ooooo

The weather was starting to get slightly chilly, though Captain Zach insisted it was perfect for practising Quidditch. The team stayed outside long hours, learning twenty new maneuvers the captain had come up with during the summer break and complaining under their breath. She, however, refused to get daunted and yelled encouragements across the pitch to whoever would listen.

'I'm sure they'll need to collect me in a dustpan,' James said one day during practice. 'All my limbs are ready to fall off any moment.'

The term was getting tougher by the day. New spells that were difficult to master were nothing compared to the amount of homework the teachers had set them. Only the Care for Magical Creatures classes were somewhat a relief. Professor Hagrid had assigned them each a Niffler and all they were required o do is observe their behaviour and take notes on it.

Rose and Scorpius were busy looking up the ingredients for a Forgetful Potion when Al slid onto the seat opposite Rose and whispered, 'I have some news.'

Rose looked up from her parchment and Scorpius turned to him after quietly closing the heavy book.

'I heard Professor Flitwick talking to Professor Longbottom. They were discussing the ball. And guess what, they were discussing who would be invited.'

'Did you hear the names?' asked Scorpius.

'Yes. It seems the once famous Bulgarian Seeker, Vickor Krum is invited.'

'WHAT!'

Rose clapped a hand on her mouth as soon as the words were out. All of them pretended to be busy looking up answers in the books or scribbling notes on parchments when Madam Pince hurried over to discover the source of that 'abominable screech'.

'Merlin's beard, Rosie. You'll get us kicked out of the library,' Al put a hand to his chest.

'Sorry,' she whispered, 'I couldn't contain my excitement. I have a huge crush on him.'

Scorpius shook his head. 'He was a Quidditch player, Carrots. _Was_. He is forty-two now.'

'So what! I love him.' She narrowed her eyes when he sniggered and tried to pass it off as a cough, 'Don't you dare laugh, Scorpius Malfoy. I'm going to jinx you if you don't stop sniggering at once.'

'Anyway, who else is invited?' Scorpius turned to Al.

'Amos Diggory.'

'And?'

'I couldn't catch the rest. Some French bloke named Delacour or something like that.'

'Fleur Delacour?' said Rose suddenly.

'Who?' Scorpius and Al turned to her.

'Aunt Fleur,' she said, going quiet all of a sudden. 'Oh my God, Al. They are inviting all the champions of the last Triwizard tournament to the memorial. Which means – '

'Dad would be here,' Al looked at the two. They had identical expressions of awe on their faces.

ooooo

 _To be continued…_

 _ **Please review, my lovelies! :)**_


	14. Chapter 14 Dance Lessons

_**A/N Hi there! I'm so grateful to all those who read and appreciated my humble offering. A shoutout to Hou5eMou5e, ClickytheNikki and Keisha M for showing your support. And to the two guests and schnici , you made my day by posting such lovely reviews. I'll be trying my best to update as quickly as I can. Till then, enjoy this chapter and leave your reviews if you love/hate it.**_

 _ **A few things to consider before we proceed. In the story I've shown that nobody (the new generation) knows Snape loved Harry's mother, Lily. I like to think that Harry wanted to respect Snape's wish. He would request all those who heard him during the Voldemort-Harry wand fight scene in the seventh book to keep that secret a secret. Another thing I like to think is that Harry would have gone back to Snape's childhood home to salvage whatever he can find and preserve. But somehow all is lost but a few books. He gives them to the Ministry without telling them the owner's name (Snape may have requested him. Do you smell a plot for a new oneshot here? I think I do). Hence the mention of the Half-blood Prince.**_

 ** _Now that these things are clarified, let us proceed to the story..._**

 **Disclaimer: The original characters of Harry Potter are the express property of J. K. Rowling . I only own the story, the mistakes and the cover picture (if any of you are wondering about it, yes I drew it myself)**

* * *

The dungeon was positively freezing. Scorpius rubbed his hands together to stop them from getting numb. He knew how important it was to have fully functional hands while making potions. If your hand shook during adding beetle eyes to the cauldron, it might spill some and lead to disastrous results. He rubbed his hands again and looked around.

Students were taking out their potion books and laying out the equipments for the lesson. Silver knives for cutting roots, scales to measure ingredients, glass pipes to stir, phials and vials to store the finished product. Some were busy lighting the fire under their pewter cauldrons. Rose, Al and he were huddled near the teacher's desk. Rose was busy unrolling a piece of parchment and readying her quill to take down notes. It was the only subject that she was not so good at, though not for lack of trying. Scorpius helped her whenever he could, sometimes giving her instructions from the corner of his mouth. Al was busy reading.

'What are you reading?' asked Scorpius. 'The _preface_?' he raised an eyebrow when Al showed him.

'Yeah. It's very interesting. It says most of the potions that are included are improvements of the original versions. And these came as scribbled notes from potion books owned by someone who called himself 'the Half-blood Prince'. The author also says these 'notes' were disapproved by the Ministry before one of them followed the instructions and was surprised by the quality of the potion.'

He squinted at the print, 'it also says here that all the potion instructions are Ministry approved now.'

'The Half-blood Prince!' Rose grabbed her own copy of _Magic in a Cauldron_ and began reading. 'Hmm – must be someone who did not want fame and yet liked intrigue.'

'They say Severus Snape was a brilliant Potion master,' Scorpius said.

'Yes, but he was horrible to Mom and Dad and Uncle Harry. He hated Gryffindors,' said Rose.

'He was the Slytherin Head before good old Sluggy came along,' smirked Scorpius. 'That explains a lot.'

'If you two gits haven't noticed, I'm named after him,' deadpanned Al.

'Sorry Al, old boy,' said Scorpius, as Rose chuckled. 'Didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Snape was a great man though. History books say as much.'

'Yes,' said Al eagerly, warming up to the topic, 'I read about him quite a lot. He was a Deatheater before he came back to our side. Nobody knows what brought about that sudden change – though an old newspaper speculated that it was because Voldemort had killed the lady he loved – it did not mention the woman's name. From then on he pretended to be on the Dark Side, and all the time he was actually spying on Voldemort for Dumbledore.'

'So romantic,' sighed Rose. 'I wish someone would love me like that.'

'He sounds like this Half-blood Prince guy. Doesn't like fame and leaves people guessing why he came back to the good side,' Scorpius remarked.

'Severus Snape was no prince. I couldn't find his family tree, but this I can say with surety,' said Al.

The dungeon door opened at that moment and Professor Slughorn bounced into the classroom, chortling and rubbing his hands in anticipation.

''Morning class,' he called out cheerfully. 'Today we will be brewing a potion named the _Hilarior Potione_. Now who knows what it does? Ah – Miss Weasley – '

'It's a potion that induces the person to feel cheerful.'

'Excellent! Five points to Gryffindor. Now, today we will be brewing this dangerous potion and discussing its side-effects. Don't underestimate this little potion,' he said, when some girls chuckled at the 'dangerous' epithet. 'Who can tell me why I called it dangerous?'

This time, both Al's and Rose's hands shot up.

'Mister Potter – wonderful, wonderful – how is your dad?'

'Fine, sir.'

'And your mother? Does she still write for the Sports column?'

'Yes sir, she does.'

'Lovely – now then – the answer, if you please, Mister Potter.'

' _Hilarior Potione_ can be dangerous if one does not know its dosage and drinks too much. It can prove fatal by inducing too much laughter. There is an instance recorded in _Brewing Medicinal Potions_ , where the wizard administered a wrong dosage laughed so much that his jaws had to be reset once the effects wore off,' Al rattled off.

'Brilliant! Ten points to Ravenclaw for such a thorough answer.'

The Ravenclaws cheered. Al grinned at them and winked. Rose elbowed him.

'I hate it when you get more points,' she grumbled good-naturedly.

'Sorry, honey. I'm a Ravenclaw,' Al gave her a devious smile. Scorpius snorted.

'And I hate it when _you_ don't raise your hand. I know you knew the answer,' she kicked Scorp under the table. 'I hate it when you refuse to compete.'

'What for?' he drawled, 'I know I can easily get more than ten points for brewing it correctly.'

'Huh!'

'Want to bet on it?'

'Arrogant know-all,' muttered Rose, trying to control her twitching lips.

The Professor waved his hands and writings appeared on the blackboard. 'Everyone look here. The ingredient's are on the board. All you have to do is follow the instructions. And if you brew it correctly, it would resemble a sunny yellow colour and emit spiraling smoke. There is another half an hour left. I estimate your potions would be ready by then. Now get to work – get to work – the best potion earns extra twenty points.'

Immediately the dungeon filled with sounds of scraping stools, tinkle of glass vials, rasp of parchments and the general flurry of students trying to outdo each other. Fires were lit and cauldrons bubbled. Al pretended to turn his back to prevent Scorpius from spying.

Scorpius smirked, 'Do your best. I'll still win.'

'You're on.'

Scorpius cut the roots of wormwood into thin slices; then ground the porcupine quills into dust before adding a few drops of the bile of a codfish and the dried petals of a moonbeam (it was a flower that bloomed only in moonlight, hence the name). Then he stirred it three times in a clockwise manner before lowering the flames and sprinkling some lacewing powder. Rose took frequent peeks at his potion. Her hair was getting bushier with the fumes and she struggled to keep up with him.

'Here, take some of my sliced wormwood roots,' he offered. She sent him a gratified smile and attempted to swipe away the errant curls from her eyes.

Suddenly Scorpius found his hand reach out to tuck them behind her ear. She glanced up, surprised.

Their eyes met. And held – for a moment –

'Can you pass me your knife?' Al asked.

Both of them jerked back, too aware of the awkwardness of the situation. Rose blushed and got busy stirring her cauldron, while Scorpius fumbled with the handle of the knife, almost dropping it in the process.

'Give it here, Butterfinger, before you skewer someone with it,' Al grabbed and knife and raised his eyebrow.

Scorpius stirred the contents one more time and checked for the telltale signs. The potion was as sunny in colour as it could be and emitted shimmering spiral fumes. He took down notes and waited patiently.

'Alright, everybody stop doing whatever you're doing. I am hoping if you've brewed the potion correctly, it would be done by now,' said Professor Slughorn.

Al put down his glass pipe and tried peeking at Scorpius's cauldron while the professor slowly strolled between the students and bent down to check the progress. He gave Al's cauldron a stir and nodded appreciatively. He gave Rose's cauldron a sniff and smiled at her. Finally he came up to Scorpius's cauldron.

'My boy,' he chortled, 'are you finished already?'

'Yes sir,' he calmly replied.

'Let me see, let me see,' the professor bent to take a look. His face lit up.

'Why, my boy – you've done it again!' he slapped Scorpius on the back, 'Twenty points to Gryffindor for brewing the potion correctly. You've a talent for this.' He added in a quieter tone, 'Do come to my office sometime. We can discuss if you want to make it a career option. I have important connections that can help you.'

'See?' he smirked, when the three were packing their things after the bell and gone off. 'I told you I'd win anyway.'

Al groaned. Rose beamed at him.

Scorpius felt like he had slain a dragon.

ooooo

'Who are you going with?'

Rose turned from her homework. Lily had availed herself of the chair near the fireplace and was swinging her legs as she stroked her owl, Bronawl.

'No one,' she answered, turning back to her homework.

'You better ask now, or you'll be left out.'

'There's plenty of time.'

'I wish somebody would ask me,' Lily sighed. 'I _so_ want to go to the ball. There will be music – and dancing – ' she twirled across the room.

Some seventh year Gryffindors smiled at her antics. Rose watched her trying to do a pirouette and laughed. 'Ask Hugo to take you to the ball,' she suggested.

'Hugo has already asked a Slytherin girl. She's pretty,' Lily rolled her eyes.

' _What?_ '

'Selwina Lewis. She is not a bad person. Hugo has a _huge_ crush on her.'

Rose could only gape at her.

'Rosie!' Al stumbled out of the portrait hole all of a sudden. 'I need your help!'

'Huh?' Rose closed her mouth and blinked.

'I need your help!'

'Help?' Lily narrowed her eyes.

Al frowned. 'I need to practise dancing.'

Rose raised her eyebrows. 'You asked somebody?'

'Yes.'

'Who?'

'Your friend, Amanda.'

Rose's mouth dropped open. 'B-but she said she would ask James!'

Al scowled, 'Great to know I'm her second choice.'

Lily laughed. 'She has it bad for the Potter boys,' she sang.

'Shut up!'

'When did you ask her?' asked Rose.

'Just after the Herbology class today.'

'I see. That's why she was smiling so widely when she came back.'

Al ran his hand through his black hair. 'So will you help me?'

'Ok. How about after lunch?'

'Will do.'

Al went away. Rose returned to her homework. But try as she might, she couldn't concentrate. It seemed like everybody had already asked someone out. Except her. Who should she ask? She tried to go through all the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw boys she knew to choose someone to be her ball date. But each time she tried, a blonde-haired faceless someone intruded in her thoughts. She gave up finally, closed her books and went down to lunch.

ooooo

Scorpius frowned at the giggling bunch of girls that were following him everywhere. They had followed him to the owlery and then to the library. Each time he looked up, one of them would break into giggles and the rest would join in. It was _annoying_.

He took another swig of his pumpkin juice and resumed eating.

Al slid into the seat beside him and forked some bacon into his mouth. 'I did it,' he smiled with his mouth full.

'Did what, exactly?'

'Asked someone out.'

James and Henry sauntered towards them. 'Bravo, little brother! Give yourself a trophy!'

'Who are you going with?' asked Henry.

'Amanda Frowell.'

'Hey! Don't steal away our maidens!' James mock-drew a sword and slashed it in the air.

'I'm only returning the favour, big brother,' Al smirked.

'What do you mean?' asked Scorpius and Henry together.

Al chuckled deviously, 'He asked out our Prefect, Virginia Walters.'

'Whoa man! Why did you keep this from us?' Henry turned to James with a devilish grin on his face.

James rolled his eyes as Al and Scorpius chuckled. The seniors left, Henry swaying his hips exaggeratedly before running away, James in hot pursuit.

Al turned to Scorpius, 'Do you know how to dance?'

'A little. Why?'

'Good. You too can help. I asked Rose to help partner me. You can instruct us.'

'When?'

'After lunch. Rose promised to meet me in one of the empty classrooms.'

'Fine. I'm done here. Let's go.'

They found Rose and Lily waiting in an empty classroom on the third floor just off the charms corridor.

'You need dance lessons too, Snowy?' Rose quirked her eyebrow.

'No Carrots. I'm here to teach _you_.'

Rose laughed, 'I don't need teaching. I know how to waltz.'

'You do? You impress me!' he teased.

Al crossed his arms. 'If you two are done, what am I supposed to do now?'

'Watch us,' said Scorpius, before turning to Rose. 'Milady?'

Rose grinned and took his proffered hand. She laid her left arm on his shoulder as he clasped the other in his warm grasp.

'You must hold the lady like this,' Scorp demonstrated, 'so that her entire arm is rested on yours as she clasps your shoulder for support. _Be_ her support.'

'Be her support,' Al repeated as he observed them.

'A waltz is danced to the beat of three,' Scorp continued. 'Like this – one, two, three – one, two, three – one, two, three,' he executed a few steps, leading Rose across the room with the ease of an expert dancer. He twirled her, then took a few turns and finished with a bow as Rose curtseyed.

'Whoa – ' Al gaped at them. Lily clapped.

'Where did you learn to dance like that?' asked Rose, wide-eyed.

'My father said it was a necessary part of being a Malfoy. I took lessons when I was little,' he shrugged.

Al still had his mouth hanging open.

'Ok, now it's your turn,' said Scorpius, letting go of Rose and walking up to Al. He placed Al facing his back and asked him to mimic his steps.

'You place your left leg forward– thus – then you pivot on your left leg and take a side-step with your right – like this – next, you step back with your _right_ leg and again take a side-step with your left – and the process is repeated.'

Al fumbled a little.

'Always remember. Step _forward_ with your _left_ , step _back_ with your _right_.'

They practised it together for some time. Al was starting to get a hang of the thing.

'Very well. Now do it as a pair,' instructed Scorpius. Al gulped.

'Are you ready to get your feet stamped on, coz?' he joked.

'I won't mind if you promise to help me with my History of Magic essay,' Rose winked and clasped his hands.

'Can I dance with you, Scorp?' asked Lily eagerly.

'Alright, come here,' Scorpius smiled.

They chanted 'one-two-three – one-two-three' and danced to the beat till they were exhausted and grinning from ear to ear.

'Phewww, it was _fun_!' exclaimed Rose. 'Though my poor toes are complaining.'

'I'm sorry,' Al laughed. He turned to Scorpius, who was still twirling Lily, much to her delight, 'what say we meet here tomorrow again and practise our steps?'

Scorpius shrugged. Lily clapped her hands, 'Yes please do. I am having _so much_ fun. Scorp dances so well!'

Scorpius smiled. Lily was a dear girl.

'Save me a dance at the ball, poppet,' he winked at her.

She winked back, 'I will.'

ooooo

Words somehow got out in the Gryffindor common room that Scorpius Malfoy was giving dancing lessons. James and Henry were the first to request him to teach them to dance too. Then the rest of the boys flocked him along with Captain Zach. 'Please,' they begged.

'You have to ask Albus,' he said, as he hurried out of the common room.

Al had no problem with others practising. 'I could learn to stir ourselves through the crowd,' he said.

So the dance lessons continued—during the afternoon, before lessons, anytime they found some free time.

For the thousandth time, Scorpius partnered Rose. They floated across the room, circumventing the other dancing couples and instructing them all the while. James and Henry were partnering each other and fooling around as usual. James pretended to kiss Henry as he did an exaggerated imitations of a girl by swaying his hips. The rest of them were laughing at their antics.

'Will you two stop doing that?' asked Rose, trying to be stern but failing miserably.

'Yes ma'am.' They mock-saluted and resumed their practice.

Al was dancing with Lily. She was graceful and danced with the natural ease of a born dancer.

Rose turned to her dance partner. He had one stubborn lock of hair falling over his eyes that made him look so adorable. Rose had the strange urge to sweep it away.

'What are you smiling about?'

Rose jolted out of her thoughts. Scorp was looking at her and had a smile lingering on corner of his lips. She blinked and looked away. Good lord! What was _wrong_ with her?

'Now you're blushing!' Scorpius gave a low chuckle.

'I'm flushed from all the dancing,' she said quickly, before she lost control and blurted out something that would embarrass them both.

'Oh. Sorry. You feel so natural in my arm – ' now it was Scorp's turn to blush.

Rose gave him a startled look.

He stammered, 'I-I mean you're such a good dancer that I didn't feel we were dancing. I mean it was as easy as breathing.'

Rose smiled, 'Then why don't we just partner each other at the ball?'

'You asking me to be your date?' he gave a surprised laugh.

'If you put it that way, yes,' she grinned mischieviously.

'Great,' he grinned. 'Now I only need to let it slip that I'm taken and that giggling gaggle will leave me alone.'

' The gig- _what-what_?

'The giggling gaggle. They follow me everywhere I go. They are an absolute _nightmare_. Last night I had to practically hide in the toilet to avoid them. And don't you dare laugh – '

It only made Rose laugh more. She clutched her tummy and broke into fresh peals of laughter. The rest of the couples looked at them and went back to practising. It was a common sight.

'So,' said Rose, when she could finally utter coherent words, 'I'm just a means to an end?'

Scorpius gave her his famous Malfoyesque smirk.

'If you put it that way, yes.'

oooooo

 _To be continued..._

 ** _Please review, my lovelies!_**


	15. Chapter 15 Strange Developments

_**A/N Spoiler alert: There are some scenes from the Cursed Child depicted here. Please bear with me and go through the story. I promise the next chapter would be about the ball.**_

 _ **As always, I am so happy and grateful to read the reviews you all have been posting. Thank you so much for all your support! A shoutout to sandflight for favouriting the story...you people are the best.**_

 _ **Do forgive me if there are too many typing mistakes. It's a late night update. And I'm too lazy to check for typos. And besides, the entire chapter was typed in my tab (my PC isn't working).**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

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The morning before Christmas arrived with startling news.

Rose was going over Scorp's Herbology essay when Al hurried over to them with the day's _Daily Prophet_ clutched in his hands.

'You two need to have a look at this,' he said, spreading the paper and pointing to a tiny column hardly a few lines long, in the lower right corner of the middle page.

Scorpius snatched the paper and peered at it, his eyes flying across the lines. Rose craned her neck past his shoulders to have a peek, but gave up when she couldn't make out the print.

'Wow,' said Scorp at length, turning his astonished eyes at Al, who nodded, his whole face aglow with excitement.

'I know! Isn't it something?' he said.

'What are you two talking about?' frowned Rose, as she drew the paper close and started reading. Finally she pushed it back and scoffed.

'I'm sure it's just a rumour as the correspondent mentions here. It might be just a stunt to increase the sales of the paper,' she said. 'Nobody takes the _Daily Prophet_ seriously nowadays.'

'C'mon Rosie. It's Elfinius Burbridge you're talking about. He would hardly spread rumours. He is a trusted reporter. Even Dad does not take his reports lightly,' argued Al.

'And besides, one can hardly presume to expect a tiny column tucked away somewhere it would hardly be noticed to increase the sales of the paper,' Scorpius added and shrugged.

'But this is absurd!' she countered. 'One can hardly make such a thing in one's homemade laboratory. It's a powerful magical object you're talking about!'

'But –'

'Stop and think for a moment. Stealing something from the Department of Mysteries is not an easy feat. And considering the thief is a former, well-known Death Eater we are talking about, it's next to impossible. He was put under house arrest by the Wizengamot after serving his five years in Azkaban. How do you suppose he got into the Ministry without anybody recognizing him and raising an alarm?'

'Polyjuice Potion?' ventured Al.

'No,' said Scorpius, shaking his head and frowning at the paper. 'She is right. If Theodore Nott was placed under house arrest, he would not be able to brew Polyjuice Potion. Not without the Aurors knowing.'

'How do you know that?'

'My Grandfather,' Scorpius replied drily. He grew quiet and brooding, fiddling with his wand and frowning at nothing in particular.

Rose gave him a sympathetic smile. 'You're not your grandfather, Malfoy.'

'It hardly makes any difference for some. I bet even your father disapproves of us being friends since I'm a Malfoy,' he said bitterly.

Rose opened her mouth to deny his words but closed it again.

'What if he stole into the Department of Mysteries even before the Second Wizarding War? What if he has been developing it in secret all these years?'

Scorpius looked up at Al. They had completely forgotten he was there. Rose sighed. Sometimes Al could be really bullheaded.

'Even if he managed to steal from the Department, where would he get the time to develop it? He spent five years in prison, Al. And if we consider for the sake of considering that he managed to do both somehow, the Ministry would make it their job to destroy it the first chance they got. Remember, it's a powerful object and can be extremely dangerous in the hands of the wrong person.'

Al looked crestfallen.

ooooo

They met Hagrid on the way out. He was busy lugging in the last Christmas tree to be erected and decorated in the Great Hall.

'Can we help you in any way, Professor?' asked Scorpius politely.

Hagrid smiled through his beard, his eyes crinkling merrily at the corners. 'Nah. I got this.' He gave it another tug, sprinkling pine needles everywhere.

'We can levitate it to the Hall,' suggested Al. Rose smiled up at Hagrid.

'Please let us help, Hagrid,' she pleaded.

'A'right, go ahead,' he shook his shaggy head. 'Yeh three remin' me o' the Golden Trio,' he chuckled.

They helped Hagrid place the tree in its stand and bid him a cheerful goodbye. The castle was bustling. Many guests had arrived at the castle on the occasion of the ball. Many of them were ex-students. The three found them talking about how the castle hasn't changed much in all these years.

' – the portrait is still there, even though it's a little more chipped around the edges.'

' – I wonder if the greenhouses are exactly where we used to have them.'

' – oh yes! They are.'

' – bless him! The good fellow is still alive!' (they were talking about the Giant Squid)

It was Saturday and since there were no classes, the three decided to go watch the guests arrive. They were looking down at the frozen lake when Al gave a sudden gasp and pointed to Hagrid's hut. 'Look!' he said.

Rose and Scorpius turned. Hagrid stood talking to someone near his famous pumpkin patch. The man turned suddenly. His glasses caught the waning light and glinted like the polished surface of a snitch.

'Uncle Harry is here!' gasped Rose. She waved to him. He waved back, before taking long strides towards their direction.

Scorpius gulped. 'I better get back to the castle,' he said.

Al frowned at him, 'Why? Are you scared of my father?'

'No. not exactly.'

'What does that mean?' said Al.

'I don't want your father to be angry with you,' said Scorpius.

'Why on earth –?'

'Most fathers don't like their children mixing with a Malfoy. I _know_ ,' he stressed the last words, as he watched the famous Harry Potter draw closer with each long stride.

'Don't be stupid. Dad knows about you. He won't bite,' assured Al.

'Well, well well, if it isn't my favourite niece,' said Mr. Potter opening his arms wide. Rose gave him a bear hug as he laughed and tousled her hair.

'Hi Dad,' said Al, grinning from ear to ear.

'Hey there, buddy!' said his father, before looking up. His eyes fell upon Scorpius, who gulped again.

'And you must be –'

'Scorpius, my best friend,' finished Al.

'Of course,' said Harry, giving Scorpius a tentative smile. He held out his hand. 'I'm Harry Potter, Albus's father.'

'It's an honour to meet you, sir,' croaked Scorpius, shaking his hand. Harry looked mildly surprised and pleased. As if he rather expected a sneer or something.

'You look so much like your father,' he said, giving him a thorough perusal. 'How do you find school?' he asked suddenly.

'Great, sir, thanks to these two here,' Scorpius turned to Rose and Al, who beamed at him.

Mr. Potter nodded his head slowly, 'I'm glad to hear that. Friends are valuable for survival. I too could not have made it through school without my best friends.' He took a deep breath and smiled, 'It feels so good to be back here again.'

'Where's Aunt Ginny?' asked Rose suddenly.

'She'll be arriving shortly. Her editor refused to let her leave early,' he said. Then he swept his fingers through his unruly, ebony hair, 'I'd better go. Don't want to anger Professor McGonagall. She can be quite frightening when she's angry.'

Rose and Scorpius shared a quick glance before looking away. They were remembering the talking-to they had to face when they were in second year.

Mr. Potter bid them goodbye and trudged up the steep slope towards the huge front door.

'Wow,' breathed Scorpius, finally.

Al snorted, 'Close your mouth before something gets in.' He swatted away a gnat that was buzzing near his head.

'But you don't understand,' said Scorpius. 'I just shook hands with –'

'The famous Harry Potter – I know – I know,' Al dismissed the whole thing with a wave of his hand. 'But he's just my dad, see? It's not a big deal.'

'It _is_ a big deal. _You_ should know that!' he frowned at Al.

Al rolled his eyes. 'Sometimes I wish people would just forget that I'm his son – why can't they just see me as plain Albus Potter?'

'You're lucky to be his son. You don't have to bother about anyone calling you the spawn of a Death Eater – like me.'

Rose shook her head. 'Sometimes being the child of a famous person can also be tough. Look at me – everybody expects me to be more brilliant than my mom. And if I fail, people talk.'

Al nodded in agreement.

'Hey! You're unique in your own right!' said Scorpius.

'Just as you are. Stop being scared of others calling you names. They don't know who _you_ are. As we do,' Rose smiled at him.

Scorpius felt his heart sing. He hugged them both. 'You are the bestest friends anyone could ever have.'

'Yeah yeah, we know,' smirked Al, slinging an arm over both their shoulders, as they slowly walked back to the golden glow of the castle.

ooooo

The Great Hall was looking stunning. Students pointed to the twelve towering Christmas trees that stood as sentinels along the north and South walls of the hall. They glittered and twinkled with the hundreds of live fairies buzzing around them. Silver stars and crescent moons hung from their branches and golden streamers lay draped across them like thick snakes. A huge tapestry depicting the Hogwarts coat of arms hung behind the high table—a large letter H surrounded by the scarlet and gold lion of Gryffindor, the yellow and black badger of Hufflepuff, the blue and bronze eagle of Ravenclaw and the green and silver snake of Slytherin. The thousands of candles floating in the air bathed everything in a soft golden light. Enchanted snow fell from the ceiling.

Students chattered and pointed to the high table, pondering over the extra chairs that had been added to the row.

'Have they arrived already?'

'Perhaps.'

'I'm waiting to catch a glimpse.'

'Who do you think is coming?'

'The Minister maybe…'

Rose and Scorpius were enjoying the chatter. They knew who would be coming – and it was fun to hear others guessing up the wrong answers.

'Hey! What are you two sniggering about?' asked James across the table.

'Nothing. You'll know soon enough.'

James scowled just as a hush fell across the room. Scorpius turned to look at the table. McGonagall was walking towards her high chair, busy talking to Mr. Potter. The other teachers followed them, listening closely.

Whispers began flying across the room.

'Is it –?'

'Yes, it is.'

'Galloping gargoyles! It's Harry Potter!'

'Do you think I can get an autograph?'

James had his mouth slightly open. 'Dad?! I should have known,' he finished weakly. Lily looked ready to jump up in glee. Scorpius turned to look at Al. He found him plagued by the Ravenclaw girls from all sides and trying hard to disappear under the table.

'Who is _that_?' Rose asked suddenly.

A rather feeble old wizard was being helped into a chair by a young woman. He glared at Mr. Potter through the interval.

'That's Amos Diggory,' said James. He was fairly recovered from the shock now. 'But who is the young lady? She's rather pretty.'

'I heard Virginia can cast a really nasty Bat Bogey Hex,' murmured Rose suggestively. James sobered in an instant.

'He has it bad, hasn't he?' whispered Scorpius. Rose pressed her lips in silent amusement.

Headmistress McGonagall tinkled her goblet with her wand. 'May I have your attention please? We already have few dignitaries gracing our table today. I'm proud to welcome Mr. Harry Potter and Mr. Amos Diggory in our midst.'

Tremendous applause filled the hall. Mr. Potter got up and gave a small bow. Mr. Diggory waved from his seat. The young lady adjusted his coat lapels.

'Since you all know, this is a memorial service dedicated to Cedric Diggory. And since Mr. Potter was one of the contestents in the ill-fated tournament where we all so tragically lost one of our best students, I would like to request Mr. Potter to say a few words in honour of Cedric Diggory.' The headmistress gave him a small nod and sat down. Mr. Potter took off his glasses, wiped them in his robe and put them on. Then he cleared his throat.

'Thank you, Headmistress, for giving me this valuable opportunity,' he began. The hall was so quiet you could hear the rasping breath of the caretaker, Filch.

'I had the honour of meeting Cedric Diggory during my fourth year in Hogwarts. Many of you know that it was the year Hogwarts hosted the first Triwizard Tournament in decades. It was also the year the Goblet of Fire chose four champions, instead of the customary three -' he drew a deep breath before continuing, 'Cedric would have been the Hogwarts champion, if the Goblet hadn't chosen me as well. But I cannot regret it. I wouldn't have come to know him better if I hadn't.'

Someone snorted loudly. Mr. Potter clenched his jaws.

'Cedric Diggory was a model human being. Kind, loyal, friendly - he never strove to achieve something at the cost of loss to others. I remember him asking our Quidditch captain, Oliver Woods, for a rematch in third year. And you know why he said that? Because he saw me fall off my broom. And in his opinion it was not a fair game when the other team played without a Seeker.'

The hall listened to him in rapt attention.

'His sense of justice was so strong, I've come across such in very few wizards. And it was this inborn quality that made him hold everyone in equal respect. No one was inferior in his eyes. He looked down to no one. I was not a close friend of his, but he never made me feel left out. In fact, when I was facing ridicule at the hands of many of my own friends, he was the one who told them off.'

'It is painful for me to recollect these memories. Sometimes I just feel so guilty to have asked him to raise the Triwizard cup with me. If I had listened to him and hadn't insisted that we share, he would have been alive today-' he paused to take another deep breath.

'Cedric was everything that was opposite of Voldemort. He represented loyalty and honour and friendship. He may not have been alive, but his spirit guided us during the darkest of times, showing us the importance of strength in unity. He brought us all together, helping us fight for what we held dearest-freedom and truth, and honour, and love and trust...'

Rose nudged Scorpius with her foot. He jerked his head back, 'What?'

'Look at Amos Diggory.'

Scorpius squinted at the old man. He was livid and glared daggers at Mr. Potter. He continued glaring at him across the table even after he had finished his speech and settled down in his chair. Scorpius turned to Rose, 'That's weird. Why does he look angry?'

Rose only shrugged back, looking puzzled.

They soon forgot everything as food appeared before them.

oooooo

'Have you seen Amanda?' asked Al, as they made their way to the dorms. The Potter siblings had gone off to talk to their father. Rose had stayed behind. So had Scorp. The three were almost the only people on the ground floor now.

'No. I think she left for the dorm ages ago. Why?' asked Rose.

'Wanted to decide where we would meet tomorrow. I need to wait somewhere where she woukd find me easily.'

'Why don't you wait outside our common room?' suggested Scorpius. Al seemed to ponder the idea before he gave a nod.

'Great. Tell her I'd be waiting outside by five,' he told Rose. 'I would - what was that?'

They could hear raised voices.

'It's coming from there,' said Scorpius.

'That sounds like -'

'Uncle Harry!' Rose turned to Al. They stood listening. The raised voices were approaching them. They found the nearest empty room and hid themselves. It wouldn't do to get caught out of bed by some teache or prefect.

'- of course I'm not,' Harry was saying. 'It's just, I'm afraid, as Head of the Department of Magical Law and Enforcement I'm responsible-'

'There's plenty you're responsible for,' spat the other voice.

'Sorry?'

'My son, Cedric, you remember Cedric, don't you?'

Rose, Al and Scorpius looked at each other, shocked. Amos Diggory!

Harry drew a sharp breath. 'Yes, I remember your son. His loss-'

'Voldemort wanted you!' erupted Mr. Diggory. 'Not my son! You told me yourself, the words he said were 'kill the spare'. The spare. My beautiful son, was a spare.' He gave a huge sniff.

Harry was trying to reason with him, 'Mr. Diggory, as you know, I sympathise with your efforts to memorialise Cedric but-'

'A memorial?' hissed the old man. 'I'm not interested in a memorial - not any more. I am an old man - an old, dying man - and I am here to ask you - beg you - to help me get him back.'

The three drew their breath sharply. Harry looked up, as surprised as they felt.

'Get him back? Amos, that's not possible,' he said, a slight hint of incredulity in his voice.

Amos's face hardened. 'The Ministry has a Time-Turner, does it not?' he asked in a granite voice.

'The Time-Turners were destroyed!'

'The reason I'm here at all,' he beat out slowly, 'is because I knew I'd find you here and because I heard a rumour - a strong rumour - that the Ministry seized an illegal Time-Turner from Theodore Nott and has kept it. For investigation. Let me use that Time-Turner. Let me have my son back.'

There was a long deadly pause. The three friends held their breath, watching in rising horror and astonishment the play of emotions on Harry's face. He began shaking his head slowly and walking away, Amos hobbling after him.

'Amos, playing with time? You know we can't do that,' they heard him say, as he and Amos disapeared round the corridor. Amos's reply was muffled by the walls.

'I told you!' whispered Al. 'I knew Elfinius wouldn't spread rumours.'

'But Uncle Harry didn't say if it was true. Amos mentioned it was a rumour,' said Rose, frowning.

'Neither did Dad deny it,' whispered Al, 'it's as good an affirmation as any.'

They were busy arguing in whispers, when -

'Hello.'

They nearly jumped out of their skins at the quiet voice coming from behind them. Whipping around in panic, they found the young witch accompanying Amos, sitting on a dusty bench and watching them intently. She jumped down and strode towards them with a friendly smile.

'Oh. Sorry. Didn't mean to startle. I used to do that a lot myself, listening behind doors, ' she said, jerking her head towards the corridor, 'waiting for someone to say something the tiniest bit interesting.' She smiled again.

Al was the first to recover. 'Who are you?' he asked.

'I am a thief of course. I am about to steal everything you own. Give me your gold, your wand and your Chocolate Frogs,' she gave a mock glare and then smiled, ' Either that or I'm Delphini Diggory.' She stuck out her hand, ' Delphi. I look after him - Amos - well, I try.' She rolled her eyes before giving a small chuckle and turning to Al.

'And you are?'

'Albus. And this is Rose and Scorpius.'

'Of course! Albus Potter! So Harry is your dad? That's a bit wow isn't it?'

'Erm...' Al looked a bit uneasy.

Delphi frowned, giving him a careful stare. Then she nodded slowly, as if in understanding. Suddenly they heard Amos call her name.

She walked past them towards the corridor, before thinking something and turning towards them. 'We don't choose who we are related to,' she shrugged. 'Amos isn't just my patient, he's my uncle - it's part of the reason I took the job at Upper Flagley. You learn to live with the fact after a time.' She gave them a jaunty wave and was gone.

'She was nice,' Rose wondered aloud. Scorpius nodded.

'She seemed very friendly. I liked her loads better than Amos. Don't you think so, Al?'

Al was still frowning and looking at the door through which the witch had disappeared.

'Al?' Rose prodded.

Al seemed to come out a deep trance. 'Huh?'

'You seem miles away.'

He nodded, frowning again. 'Did you find anything odd about her?'

'Odd?' they looked at him, puzzled.

'What was she doing here, alone?'

'May be trying to take a respite from the caustic old man,' suggested Rose.

Al shook his head. 'It doesn't explain the fact that she didn't let her presence felt the moment she saw us.'

'Leave it, Al. She must have her own reasons.'

But he only muttered, 'Something's just not right about this whole thing.'

Rose and Scorpius shook their head. Al could be like a dog witha piece of bone. He wouldn't let the matter rest till he was satisfied.

They left him pondering about it all the way to his dormitory.

ooooooo

 _To be continued..._

 _ **Please review, my good people!**_

 _ **I have tried my best to adapt the CC dialogues to go with my story. What do you guys think? Let me know...**_


	16. Chapter 16 Before the Ball

_**A/N Hello! So…I'm back after a short break. With a new chapter. Hopefully y'all will like it a lot better than the last. I know, I know. It was terrible. And I'm absolutely indebted to you for not sending me a Howler or an envelope filled with Bubotuber pus after reading it.**_

 _ **A shoutout to Jenna Cregg, Rose13296 and BookLuvr9802 for following the story. Thank you! This one's for you…**_

* * *

By Christmas morning the castle was overflowing with guests. Aunt Ginny had arrived and had immediately proceeded to inspect the Gryffindor common room, much to the delight of Lily and Rose.

'It hasn't changed a bit,' she smiled, lovingly tracing a curious bump on the bedpost of one of the four beds. The two girls gave her a tour as she regaled them with stories of pranks she had played with and on her brothers during her term at Hogwarts. Many boys watched her wide-eyed as some girls bravely approached her for autographs.

'Oh. One more thing,' she turned to Rose. 'Hermione and Ron would be arriving very soon. Did you know that?'

Rose gasped. 'Mom would be here?' she asked, giving a delighted laugh.

'Yes. And Aunt Fleur and Uncle Bill.'

'Oh, I knew that,' said Rose. 'And Viktor Krum.'

Aunt Ginny turned to her, a bit startled.

'How did you know?' she asked. 'It was a top secret!'

Rose gave her aunt an impish smile. 'Al, Scorpius and I worked it out.'

'You truly are Hermione's daughter,' her aunt laughed.

'Have you met Scorp?' asked Lily all of a sudden. There was a pregnant pause. Aunt Ginny looked slightly grave and discomfited.

'No, I haven't had the pleasure,' she said at length.

'Oh you must meet him,' Lily said eagerly. 'He's the best. He doesn't tease me and treats me better than Jamie or Al.'

Aunt Ginny sent an alarmed, questioning glance towards Rose.

'It's true,' said Rose, understanding her aunt's misgivings and yet trying to defend her friend. 'Scorpius is as decent a boy as they come, Aunt Ginny. I consider him my best friend. You can ask Al too, if you like.'

Aunt Ginny still looked sceptical.

ooooo

Scorpius had woken up to a rather loud 'Merry Christmas' from Al before he had tossed him his gift and bounded out of the Gryffindor tower. Apart from the box of Chocolate cauldrons Al had gifted him, he had also got an elegant quill (Rose's), a pair of mittens (definitely from Lily; purple was her favourite colour) and a gilt-edged diary from his parents, complete with the year printed at the bottom of the back cover in gold. That was all. His grandparents had stopped sending him any gifts ever since he got Sorted into Gryffindor.

He looked around the now empty dorm and sighed. Everybody was downstairs, meeting and greeting family, wishing each other a merry Christmas and having a great time. Even Al had not stayed long. His family was here and it was quite normal that he would spend time with them, thought Scorpius. Rose had not appeared come up to wish him either.

He gave another sigh as he dipped the quill in ink and opened the first page of the diary. It was of the finest quality and faintly smelled of a mixture of spices and vanilla.

 _Christmas_ (he wrote)

 _I wish Mom and Dad were here…_

Finding nothing else to write, he closed the diary and went downstairs for breakfast.

He had been wandering past the library (which was open due to requests by many ex-student guests), trying to avoid parents and students alike, when to his astonishment, he saw Al give a furtive look around the hall and disappear behind a thick stack of books. That was weird. He had expected him to hang out with his family, catching up on new tidbits. Scorpius had consciously refrained from seeking him out for this very fact. Yet here he was, in the library, doing heaven knows what with all that secrecy and urgency. Intrigued, he entered the library and tried snooping around.

'Just what are you trying to do, young man?'

Scorpius froze in his tracks. Just his luck. He turned to face a rather irate Madam Pince.

'I-I was looking for you, Madam Pince.'

The aged librarian glared at him through her pince-nez. He stumbled on.

'I wanted to check a few ingredients of the potion that I was writing about. And for that I had to look through a library book and for _that_ I needed to ask your permission. So I was looking for you,' he finished lamely.

Madam Pince sniffed haughtily. 'Very well,' she said, 'go ahead and do your research. But if you so much as crease one page – '

Scorpius shook his head vigorously. The librarian kept a shrewd eye on him as he took a down a thick potion reference book and pretended to search for the specific page. He frequently took a quick sideways glance to note if the harridan was still there. She was.

Just when he was ready to thunk his head on the table in frustration, he caught the librarian making her way towards her table at the back of the hall. Sighing a breath of relief, he quickly stowed away the heavy tome and dodged two shelf of books and peeked behind the stack that Al had disappeared behind. A door loomed.

He pushed it open. It was the same room he and Rose had served detention in. And in a corner, slightly hidden by more stack of books, sat Albus. He was too intent on poring over something to notice the door open. Scorpius tiptoed upto him.

'Psst…Al,' he whispered.

The boy jumped a mile.

'Scorp, you git,' he hissed, 'what are you trying to do, giving me such a fright? I almost felt my heart jump to my throat!'

Scorpius furrowed his brows. 'What are _you_ doing? I thought you'd be with your family.'

Al waved him over. 'Look at this,' he said, turning the pages of what looked like an old book. Its pages were gilded and the cover was intricately painted with curling vines and flowers.

'What is this?'

'A book recording the family tree of every wizarding family in the realm,' said Al. 'It records almost all the wizarding families from the first Great War right down to the past few decades.'

'I understand you are mad about our history. But why on earth would you be reading this _now_?' asked Scorpius incredulously.

Al held up a hand. 'I was searching for one particular family. The Diggorys.'

Scorpius looked at him in surprise. Al nodded, 'Didn't I ask you two if you had found something odd last night?'

'Yes, maybe,' said Scorpius, frowning.

'I told you something was not right. You see,' Al paused and licked his lips. 'I come here sometimes to study these family trees. It's interesting. And I almost always make it a point to trace a person's roots once I find him fascinating.'

'Your point being –?'

'I had tried to trace Cedric Diggory's roots. And what I found is rather –'

He never got to finish the sentence. Footsteps were approaching. Scorpius and Al scurried behind a tall shelf, their panicked gazes fixed on the door. The footsteps stopped just outside. Scorpius could feel his heartbeats drum in his ears. A moment passed. Then the footstep began retracting again, slowly fading into general silence.

'So what did you –?

'Not here,' whispered Al. 'Let's get out of here first.'

They crept out of the room and made their way to the courtyard. Al looked around before lowering his voice.

'I think Delphini Diggory was telling a lie.'

'What! Why would you say that?'

'Because Amos Diggory never–'

'There you are,' someone called out. They whipped around. Al's parents were walking towards them, Lily leading Mrs. Potter by the hand. She waved at them enthusiastically. Al whispered a quick 'tell you later' and waved back.

'Mom, meet Scorp,' chirped Lily. 'Scorpius, this is my mom.'

Scorpius had never been introduced to Al's parents before. They would generally meet with Rose, just before the train left the station and found an empty compartment to sit together. He had watched both Al's and Rose's family from afar. His parents seemed to avoid all other families and kept to themselves. What other choice would they have, mused Scorpius. Everybody else avoided them as well. It wouldn't do to be friends with an alleged Death Eater, would it?

Ginny Potter gave him a calculating look as she held out her hand. Scorp bowed over it.

'I'm honoured to meet you, ma'am and a merry Christmas,' he murmured.

She glanced up at her husband, startled. Everybody had a similar reaction whenever they met him, thought Scorpius ruefully. As if they expected him to start spouting insults and behave rudely just because he was a Malfoy.

Mr. Potter gave her a small nod and smiled.

'A merry Christmas to you too,' she said, turning to Scorpius. She was still looking mildly startled.

'Dad, can he to come over during the vacations?' pleaded Lily, tugging at her father's sleeve. Scorpius started feeling panic and embarrassment arise within him again. Oh no no no. This won't do. The Potters were clearly ill at ease at the thought.

'I-it's ok, sir,' he stammered. 'You don't have to do that. I understand.'

Mrs. Potter looked at Al, who was a silent observer all this time. He had a hopeful expression on his face. Scorpius groaned inwardly.

'Of course he can,' Mr. Potter said suddenly. He was looking at his wife, a silent understanding passing between them. 'Tell you what, why don't we invite him this summer itself?' he smiled down at the squealing girl.

'Mr. Malfoy, we would be delighted if you would come over this summer to our place,' he turned to Scorpius and smiled.

Albus gave a gleeful whoop and grinned as Scorpius felt his jaws drop to his knees. It was the best Christmas gift he had ever received and yet he was scared. What if his father did not approve?

He was saved from an answer by an announcement by Headmistress McGonagall requesting them all to assemble at the front lawn to welcome the dignitaries.

ooooo

Rose sat having lunch with her parents at the House table. Most of the students were sitting with their families in clusters. She had been looking forward to the arrival of the guests, especially Viktor Krum. Now that he and Uncle Harry were seated at the high table, she could not resist stealing frequent glances. Aunt Fleur had chosen to sit with Victoire and Uncle Bill at the Ravenclaw House table. Aunt Ginny was there too, chatting with the rest of the House as Lily listened raptly. Al and Scorpius seemed to be arguing over something.

Scorpius suddenly looked up and winked. Rose felt her heart stutter for a moment. Then she smiled and winked back.

'Who are you smiling at?'

She quickly got busy spooning some apple pie into her mouth to avoid Dad's question.

'It's the Potters, dear,' her mother said, deftly steering him away from the topic. Rose gave her a swift grateful smile. Neither of them wanted Dad to raise a hue and cry and embarrass the family in front of the entire school.

Her father went back to eating. 'Mmm…I missed this,' he said, chewing on a chicken leg. 'The best food I've ever tasted, apart from Mom's…and of course yours,' he added quickly.

Mom rolled her eyes. 'Isn't it laying it a bit thick? I know I'm not good at cooking,' she said, arching one eyebrow.

Rose smothered her laughter. It was true. Mom was ok with the basics. But when it came to three meal courses or more, she was out of her depth. Dad would often help her in the kitchen when guests came over.

'Imma-ommy-temmim-de-toomph,' Dad mumbled with his mouth full.

'No, it'd nowhere near the truth. And please don't speak with your mouth full,' scolded Mom.

'How do you even know what he was saying?' asked Hugo. 'I couldn't understand one word!'

Mom smirked. 'I'm the daughter of two dentists, honey. I grew up figuring out garbled speeches in my parents' chambers.'

Dad sent them a droll look as Rose broke into giggles. Mom winked at her.

ooooo

Scorpius felt lonely. Almost everyone was busy meeting their parents. Al and James had taken their parents for a tour around the castle. Rose was nowhere to be seen. She too must have joined in the family gathering. If only his parents would come too. He sighed a he climbed the steps wearily.

He was just about to climb through the portrait hole when someone barreled into him. His nose painfully with the other's head.

Eyes watering, he blinked at the offender. Rose stood there, rubbing her head.

'Sorry,' she said, 'I didn't see you.'

'Yeah. My nose knows,' he said sarcastically. 'What's your hurry?'

'I just wanted to reach the girls toilet before the others crowded them,' she said. 'No no no. not what you are thinking,' she added quickly at the embarrassed look on his face, 'I was going to do my hair. The girl's dorm is crowded. And as noisy as a cage full of Cornish pixies.'

That's when Scorpius noticed the bottle clutched in her hands. The label said _Sleakeaszy's Hair Potion_.

'What's that?' he asked.

'Something to make my hair sleek and smooth. Mom gave it to me.'

Scorpius frowned.

'I want to look beautiful when I approach Viktor Krum,' she blushed.

'But you _are_ beautiful,' he said.

'Not with this bush for a hair,' she said, sending him an unamused look.

He shrugged. 'I like it the way it is.'

'That's why you're my best friend,' she gave him a quick hug and went skipping towards the girls' washroom.

Scorpius could only shake his head in resignation.

oooooo

Rose fussed with her hair. She had decided at the last moment not to apply the hair lotion, though what made her do that she couldn't fathom. Her hair glistened with all the combing and had been gathered loosely at her nape with a silver comb (a gift from Aunt Fleur.) They now tumbled down her shoulders and the front in ringlets.

She looked down at the gown. The bodice was an emerald green embroidered with tiny leaves and vines and beads. The skirt was also the same satin layered with the apple green gauze Scorp had chosen. The gauze was gathered in descending folds down the front and revealed the emerald satin underneath. The skirt was not too flaired. It was a bit longer at the back and made a trail when she walked. The short, loose sleeves fluttered at the tiniest movements.

'Wow! You look gorgeous!' said Amanda as she looked at her handiwork. She herself was wearing a scarlet gown that set off her golden blonde curls and ivory complexion beautifully.

Rose tried one last to tame the curly tendrils falling over her eyes. But it was no use. She huffed out a sigh and slipped on her slippers.

'Are you ready?' she asked Amanda. 'The boys would be getting impatient.'

They had decided to meet near the statue of Godric, just beside the Gryffindor stairs.

Amanda applied one last touch of tint to her lips. 'Let's go bowl them over,' she winked.

Rose laughed as they linked their arms and walked down the stairs.

ooooo

'What's taking them so long?' asked Al, looking desperately at Scorpius. He was pacing the landing and looked up expectantly whenever someone walked down the stairs. This was the fifteenth time in a row and he was getting impatient.

Scorpius shrugged. Perhaps they need to put more effort to dress up than the boys, he mused. He had only had to put some extra effort to make a proper knot in his bow tie. The rest was easy. The cream coloured waist coat was followed by the blue dress-robe.

Al was still pacing and grumbling. He ran his fingers through his hair, upsetting its carefully sleeked back arrangement.

Footsteps were approaching. He looked up.

And felt all the air sucked out of his lungs at once.

There, at the top of the stairs, stood a vision in green. Rose.

She nervously smiled at him as she seemed to float down the stairs.

Scorpius felt his heart stutter before resuming at a gallop.

'Hello,' she said, trying to tuck a curl behind her ear.

His necktie suddenly felt tight.

'You look…beautiful,' he said at length, bowing over her small, soft hand. There was no suitable word to describe her beauty.

She blushed prettily. 'You don't look bad either,' she said quietly. Scorpius felt his heart give a strange thump again.

'Shall we?' he offered his arm. She tucked hers in his.

Al, who was talking quietly to Amanda, caught his eye and nodded.

Together they walked towards the Great Hall.

ooooo

 _To be continued…_

 _ **Please review, my lovlies!**_


	17. Chapter 17 Cedric Diggory Memorial Ball

_**A/N There you go. Another chapter fresh from the proverbial ovens. There is something I would like to ask all my lovely supporters. Are you finding the story interesting? Do let me know! Because I can't understand, unless you give me feedbacks. Just let me know if you love/ hate it and why. It helps a lot! And it also motivates me to go on.**_

 _ **As always, I should like to thank all those who are following my story. A shoutout to Amerish and Imanawkwardpenguin. Welcome aboard! ;) And to Diana Black 12 – Honey, here's the next chapter, just as you asked (I'm writing as fast as I can).**_

 _ **Enjoy (and don't forget to leave reviews. They do speed up the process ;))**_

 **Disclaimer: All original Harry Potter characters are the express property of J. K. Rowling. I only own the story.**

 _ **P.S. I couldn't help borrowing the title too *sigh***_

* * *

The Great Hall was filled to brimming. Students occupied one side of the hall while guests occupied the other. The high table had been removed and presently staged a full orchestra who were tuning their various instruments. The low buzzing of incessant chatter filled the air. Girls were heard complimenting each other on their dresses and looks while boys were discussed the approaching Chudley Canons game and wondered what would be on the menu. The honoured guests were yet to arrive.

'Let's get to the front,' suggested Scorpius.

Rose shook her head. 'Not yet. Let the main guests arrive first.'

They waited in the sidelines, Al frequently craning his neck to catch a glimpse of those arriving. He suddenly nudged Scorpius.

'Your parents are here,' he said, jerking his head towards the entrance. Rose scrambled to take a better look as Scorpius stood with his mouth hanging open.

'They never said a word,' he whispered disbelievingly.

'Great! Now you can ask your dad if you can come over during summer break,' said Al, grinning from ear to ear.

'You asked him to come over?' Rose looked at Al with surprise. 'When?'

'Just after breakfast. It wasn't me though. Lil did.'

'Lily?'

'Yeah. You know how much fond she is of Scorp. She asked Dad and he asked him!'

Scorpius laughed. 'She is a sweetheart. No one can resist her charm. I bet she's on her way to being a heartbreaker.'

Al snorted, 'Yeah. You'll know how much of a 'sweetheart' she is once you spend a week with her. Jamie is nothing compared to her.'

'Where is she anyway?' said Scorpius, peering over the people in front. 'I did promise her a dance.'

'Don't worry. She'll find you,' Al turned to the door again. 'And here they are,' he said, as the band struck up a tune to welcome the dignitaries.

Professor McGonagall swept into the room in the arms of Uncle Harry as Aunt Fleur followed with Viktor Krum. The rest of the teachers also followed in pairs.

Rose turned a shade of pink when Krum passed them and sent her a small smile.

'He's so handsome,' she crooned, earning a snort from Al and an irritated 'tsk' from Scorpius. 'He _is_. Look at the way he holds his head. Regal.'

'Yeah. Must be the stiff collar,' quipped Scorpius sarcastically. Rose frowned at him.

'Are you jealous?'

'Please…he is an old man,' said Scorpius.

'He's _not_.'

'Is too.'

'Is not.'

'There we go again,' Al rolled his eyes, as Amanda sniggered.

The students started to mingle once the dignitaries were seated at the two separate tables near the podium. The Triwizard Champions sat at a separate table. One chair was left empty, in honor of Cedric Diggory.

Smartly clad waiters wended their way among the crowd, serving drinks (junior students were served Butterbeer). The House tables had been replaced by daintily covered tables and chairs.

Scorpius, Rose, Albus and Amanda grabbed one near the podium and looked around. Others were trying to find seats too. James was seen pulling a chair for his partner, Virginia Walters, who smiled prettily and whispered something into his ear. James looked smitten. Rose smiled and nudged Al, who turned to look at the scene. He groaned.

'See,' said Rose triumphantly, 'I told you he was in love.'

Almost everyone had settled down by now. Those who hadn't were leaning against the wall, a resigned look in their faces.

The Headmistress stood, waving her hands to quieten the music. Everyone fell silent.

'Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I, on behalf of the staff, would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas. I know you are eager to let your hair down. However, before we start, I would like to request you all to join me in honouring the memory of Cedric Diggory, and all those who lost their lives in the Second Wizarding War, with a moment of silence.'

Uncle Harry stood up from his chair. He was soon followed by Viktor Krum and Aunt Fleur. The hall was soon filled with the sound of scraping of chairs and scuffling of feet as the rest of the school stood up hurriedly.

They bowed their heads and stood silent for a minute, remembering the dead.

Then it was over. The music began playing again. The headmistress waved her wand and all the tables slid to the sides, leaving a vast, polished dance floor.

'When is the ball going to start?' said Scorpius impatiently.

'The dignitaries would dance the opening waltz first,' said Rose, as she watched Uncle Harry lead Aunt Ginny to the floor. Aunt Fleur was joined by Uncle Bill. Professor Longbottom was seen asking McGonagall.

'I wonder who Krum is going to ask,' Rose mused. 'Where is he anyway?'

Krum had seemed to disappear from the table. Scorpius prodded her with his elbow. Rose jerked her head 'What?'

Scorpius tried to tell her something with his eyes.

'What is it?' she asked, growing irritated. 'Just spit it – '

'Vill you do me the honour of dancing this valtz vith me?' someone behind her asked in a heavy accent.

She froze. Could it be? No it _couldn't_ , she chastised herself as she turned.

It was.

Her eyes grew as big as saucers as she took in the sight of a grinning Krum, holding out his hand to her.

'I-I –' she stuttered. 'I would be delighted,' she finally managed to utter.

He kissed her knuckles and led her to the middle of the floor. She could see Al giving her the thumbs up, as Scorpius scowled. She turned her head to watch her mother press her lips into an amused smile. Her heart was galloping at a tremendous rate and she struggled not to stumble. She still found it hard to believe that _Viktor Krum_ _had singled her out_. Her insides were dancing a tango.

The musicians struck the first chord as all the couples took their positions. Then they began to dance.

Rose found her apprehension slipping as they twirled round the dance floor. Krum was a superb dancer.

'You look like your mother,' he said suddenly. 'I recognized you as soon as I laid my eyes on you.'

Rose could only smile. She didn't know what to say.

'I danced the first dance with her when I came here for the Triwizard tournament.'

Rose smiled again, this time a bit surprised. Mom had never mentioned that!

'She's a brilliant witch.'

'Yes,' agreed Rose.

Krum swept her past Professor McGonagall who was giving Professor Longbottom instructions even in the middle of dancing. She turned and smiled at them.

The dance ended. Krum bowed and led her towards her parents. Her mother smiled as they approached. 'I see you got acquainted with my daughter,' she said.

'Yes, she is as beautiful and graceful as you,' he said, bowing over her hands and clicking his boots together. Rose was surprised to see her mother blush.

'Ah, Krum!' said her father, wending his way through the crowd, holding two champagne glasses. 'There you go, dear,' he handed one to Mom.

'Veasley, nice to see you after so long.'

'Yes. Last we met was on Bill and Fleur's wedding.'

They reminisced about the good ol' days. Rose was getting bored. She craned her neck to catch a glimpse of Scorp and Al. Unable to find them in the dancing crowd, she excused herself and went in search of them.

Al was dancing with Amanda. James waltzed with Virginia. Lily was dancing with a fifth year Hufflepuff she knew in passing. Scorpius was nowhere to be found.

'Hugo,' she called, catching sight of her brother, 'Have you seen Scorp?'

He jerked his head towards a corner before disappearing again.

Rose gave up after a few futile attempts and sat down on a chair, dejected.

ooooo

Scorpius had taken an instant dislike to this Viktor Krum. He couldn't help feeling annoyed when the older man waltzed in and swept her away in his arms. For Merlin's sake, Rose was supposed to be _his_ date. He crossed his arms and scowled at them the whole time they danced. He felt his irritation rise each time Rose smiled at the git. Al was busy talking to Amanda, though he tried to include him in the conversation from time to time. Scorp still felt left out. Then he gave up altogether when he saw Krum leading Rose towards the other side of the floor. He excused himself and went in search of his parents.

He found them dancing in the corner, close to the door.

'You didn't tell me you'll be coming,' he said.

His parents turned at his voice. 'We were sent the invitation only last night,' said his father. His mother smiled and gave him a hug, 'Merry Christmas, darling! We wanted to give you a surprise,' she said.

'I _am_ surprised,' he grinned, as he gazed at them. Father looked slightly wary. Mother looked…tired.

'Are you alright?' he asked.

'Absolutely splendid,' his mother said cheerily.

Scorpius frowned. He didn't believe his mother. She looked almost ill, now that he took a closer look.

'Ok, what are you hiding?'

His parents exchanged cautious glances.

'Err…your mother had caught a slight cold. I asked her not to come, but she insisted,' said his father.

'I didn't want to miss this,' his mother turned in a circle, taking in the general festivity. 'Aren't you glad we came?'

'Of course I am!' protested Scorpius. 'But you shouldn't have come if you didn't feel well.'

'I'm alright, sweetheart. But why are you here? Where are your friends?'

Scorpius ran his fingers through his hair. 'They all got busy, dancing,' he said ruefully.

'How about I dance with you,' his mother winked.

His father started looking around. 'I'll go grab two drinks,' he indicated the waiters hovering at the periphery of the dance floor. He strolled off, taking in the sight and sound of the festivity.

People hardly turned their way, and those who did, didn't bother to talk to them. Scorpius felt himself releasing a pent up breath. He hadn't realised he had been holding it in, waiting for the proverbial bomb to explode. After all it was not unexpected. People still held grudges and hearing insults flung to hurt them had become a habit now.

Today, however, there were no such insults. For a moment he had panicked when his parents had appeared unannounced. But he shouldn't have worried. Professor McGonagall would not allow such lowliness in her castle. He heaved a relieved sigh and took his mother's hand, who smiled at him in happiness and encouragement.

They had danced two dances when she waved him to stop. He came to a stop, concerned at her sudden request.

'You should sit down. Shall I fetch you a chair? Or a glass of champagne?' he said worriedly.

His mother was flushed and slightly out of breath. She pressed a hand to her heart and laughed. 'I must be getting old,' she joked.

'Are you sure you are ok?'

'Don't fuss. You go ahead and find your friends. I'll be alright,' she waved him away despite his many protests. She drew up a chair and sat down, craning to see where his father had disappeared to. Scorpius understood. He had been neatly dismissed.

With nothing else to do, Scorpius roamed the hall cluelessly, hoping to catch a glimpse of Al or Rose.

'Oi Scorp!'

He caught sight of Al waving him over to a corner. He, thankfully was Amanda-less, Scorpius was pleased to note. He had no desire to act as the wobbly third wheel again.

'Noticed something odd?' Al asked as he approached.

'What?'

'Amos Diggory is missing.'

How odd, thought Scorpius. 'You're right,' he said, casting a quick glance at the guests' table. 'Do you think he left after the spat with your father?'

'I don't know,' Al furrowed his brows, puzzling over the scene, 'but I can't work out why she is saying she is a Diggory?'

'What do you mean?' asked Scorpius, surprised.

'Listen,' said Al. 'I know for a fact that Amos Diggory had no brothers. Which means –'

'Delphini is not his niece,' finished Scorpius.

'She is not related to him at all,' said Al. 'Amos's father had no siblings either.'

'You mean there are no other families directly related to the Diggorys?'

'Exactly. And that is what has been bothering me since.'

Scorpius scrunched his brows. 'Have you told your father about this?'

Al shook his head. They kept quiet, each pondering over the rather puzzling situation.

Presently Lily strolled over, looking flushed and cheerful and plopped down between then on a chair.

'Hi Scorp,' she called cheerily.

'Hello, poppet. Having a great time?' he asked. She nodded, her curls bobbing up and down.

'You promised me a dance!'

'Yes, of course,' he smiled. 'Tell you what, why don't we wait this song out and dance to the next?'

'Yess…' she grinned and turned back to watch. The song was slow and the dancers were moving languorously across the floor. Most of the young people have chosen to sit this one out. There was no sign of Rose yet.

The song came to an end. The dancers clapped and left the floor empty.

Scorpius grabbed Lily's hand and tugged. 'Let's go, or all the space will be taken,' making her giggle.

This time the music was a fast one. He danced her across the floor and twirled her, much to her delight, before bowing as the music ended.

Just as he was leading Lily back to the seats, he caught sight of an emerald green gown disappearing behind a few onlookers.

'I think I saw Rose and I had promised her a dance too,' he said. 'Can you find a seat by yourself?'

She nodded and went away as Scorpius made a beeline for the place where Rose had disappeared.

He found her standing behind a couple of seventh years, arms crossed and scowling at their backs.

'Where have you been?' they both asked simultaneously once they laid eyes on each other.

'I think it was pretty much obvious,' said Rose. 'I was dancing with Viktor Krum.'

'All this time?' Scorpius cocked an eyebrow. 'My eyesight must be failing lately. I thought I saw him having a deep discussion with the Headmistress moments ago.'

'Fine. I was looking for you. Where were you?' she had her hands on her hips now.

'Well I was looking for you too, before I decided to go meet my parents.'

'Oh, I thought –' she chewed her lips.

'What?'

'Nothing,' she averted her eyes and changed the topic. 'We are yet to dance.'

'We would have, had the obnoxious stiff collared git not dragged you away,' Scorpius said vehemently.

Rose suddenly broke into peals of laughter.

'What!'

'You look so adorable when you are annoyed,' she said.

'Hmmph.'

'C'mon,' she said, coaxingly, 'Let's dance the next dance.'

'That was long due,' he said as he grabbed her hand.

Scorpius led her to the middle of the floor. It was more crowded as it was the last song for the evening, before the feast. Another band would be playing after dinner. Third year students and below were not allowed to stay in this.

People jostled them from all sides. Scorpius looked down at Rose as she placed her hand upon his. They were standing too close for comfort. He caught a faint whiff of lavender...and something else - cinnamon and the aroma of old books - something that was entirely Rose. He felt the silken slide of her tender skin through layers of clothing as she placed her arm on his shoulder. Her red hair tumbled in merry curls down her front - a cascade of molten copper. Her waist felt tiny in his grasp as he pulled her closer and held her soft, slender fingers in his. She looked radiant as she gazed up at him with those caramel eyes. Eyes so full of trust that he sucked in a sharp breath.

The Great Hall suddenly felt stifling.

The music commenced. Scorpius hardly registered themselves moving across the floor. It was too hard to concentrate on anything else but the girl in his arms. She easily followed where he led, adjusting her steps to match his. Those glorious tresses bobbed to the sway of their bodies, framing her face in tiny, enticing curls. They danced, losing themselves to the music, letting it flow through their nerves and fill their limbs. He executed some sharp turns, whirling her round and round till her head fell back and she laughed. It was a pure sound of joy. And it lodged like a shaft in his heart. The rest of the world fell away. The hall turned into a whorl of colours as his vision focused on her face. She _glowed_ in joy. Her eyes shone like the thousand twinkling stars that graced the black night.

She smiled at him then. And his eyes fixed on her lips. The remnants of the laughter still lingered there. They were plump and red, and curved slightly at the corners. They seemed to draw him towards them like bees to honey.

Scorpius found his head dipping just a little towards her upturned face before he caught himself in time, jerking back and shaking his head to clear it. _What the hell is wrong with you_ , he scolded himself, muttering a string of curses. _This_ i _s Rose Weasley, your best friend_. _For Godric's sake, get a grip on yourself before you do something stupid_.

'Is something wrong?'

Scorpius gulped, then blinked to clear his muddled brain and looked around. They were in the middle of the floor, surrounded by what looked like the entire school plus guests and Rose was standing before him, blushing and looking puzzled.

'What? No! Why do you ask?'

Rose shrugged. 'The music ended ages ago and you are still holding me.'

He promptly snatched away his hands as if they were scalded.

'Sorry.'

 _Look what you'd almost done_ , he told himself. _You would have kissed her with the entire hall watching? Shame on you, Malfoy. _He could feel the colour rising and flooding his face.

He looked up when Rose tugged at his hands. 'C'mon, everybody is leaving the floor. They need to clear it before the tables – oh no!'

Scorpius sensed her stiffen. Her eyes were fixed just behind his left shoulder and her face was rapidly losing colour.

He turned around. And felt his insides turn to ice.

Ron Weasley was striding towards them, a look of black fury on his face.

ooooo

 _To be continued…_

 _ **Please review, my lovelies! I know you want to**_ … ;)


	18. Chapter 18 Old Enemies

_**A/N Alright everyone! Here's a teeny-weeny chapter before I retire for the night. Before we proceed, I have a small request. I have been going through the last chapter and found some places terribly written. Especially where Scorpius drags Rose onto the dance floor. I felt it was not adequately described – how he felt – what they did. So I have been on an editing spree and rewrote them. I want all you good people to have a look and tell me if I have done justice to the scene. Oh, yes, and I also changed the name of the chapter.**_

 _ **A shoutout to AMBERJANUS , Diana Black 12, nina98155, maria. c. cardinale and Myra TS. Thank you for the lovely and encouraging reviews and the follows. You guys are the best.**_

 _ **Ookkkk…prepare yourself for an extremely small albeit action-packed chapter as we follow Mr. Ronald Weasley in hot pursuit of his errant daughter…**_

 _ **And as always (I think you all know it by now), I so love reviews…don't forget to click the review button once you have gone through the chapter (the cookie monster is hungry, you need to feed him more cookies) ;)**_

 **Disclaimer: All major characters and background are the express property of J. K. Rowling**

* * *

Rose watched in rising terror as her father shoved people out of his way to reach them. His face was rapidly changing shades – going from scarlet to crimson in a matter of seconds. This did not bode well.

Her hand involuntarily tightened on Scorp's wrist.

'C'mon,' she tugged at him urgently. 'We need to get out of here.'

But Scorpius didn't budge. He stood like he had been hit with the Stupefy spell.

' _C'mon_ ,' she tugged again.

'B-but,' Scorpius watched her father barreling towards them.

'There isn't time,' she pushed past people, dragging him towards the Entrance Hall.

She dodged students and parents alike, trying to move as fast as she could without drawing attention to herself and Scorpius. She didn't want to face her father surrounded by all these guests.

They stumbled and trotted past the large marble staircase, past the statue of Hagbert the Humble, hurrying to escape towards the front lawn before they were stopped. Rose took a peek to see if her father had managed to keep up.

'ROSIE!'

She flinched at the angry bellow and began running, Scorpius in tow.

'What are you trying to do?' he panted beside her. 'Running away would only make him livid!

'I won't run away forever. I just need to get him away from the crowd.'

'But –'

'Rosie!' Another bellow sounded from behind them, this time closer.

They had reached the frozen lawn. It was practically deserted, except couples who had stolen away to spend some 'alone-time' with their partners.

Rose skidded to a halt and turned around. Scorpius was breathing heavily, his eyes fixed on the approaching figure. He shivered slightly, though whether from the cold or fright, she could not tell.

'Rosie, come back here this instant!' her father thundered. His face resembled a beetroot now.

Rose swallowed the lump of fear that was making its way up her throat and clenched her fists.

'Why?' she said.

'Why? _Why_?' her father spluttered. 'Have I not been clear about all this? Did I not tell you to stay away from the Malfoys?'

She could feel Scorpius stiffen at the implication. Her anger flaired.

'And have _I_ not made it clear that Scorpius is my _friend_?' she said, her eyes blazing fire.

'Rosie!'

'No!' she shouted. 'I have had enough of your bullying. I understand you want to protect me. But I'm not a child anymore.'

Her father let out an angry growl. 'You do not know these Malfoys. They are shifty. They only care for what'll benefit them.'

'I can tell for myself who the shifty sorts are. And Scorpius is not!'

'Rose,' her father's voice was suddenly deceptively calm. 'I'll ask you one more time to come over.'

Rose was ready to scream in indignation and frustration when she felt a restraining hand on her shoulder. Scorpius was looking at her father, his eyes grave and stoic.

'It's alright, Carrots,' he said softly, trying very hard to smile. 'Go to your father.'

'YOU! Remove your filthy pureblood hand from my daughter's shoulder this instant before I curse you to oblivion.'

Rose's eyes widened in fear at the wand pointed directly at Scorpius's chest. Was Dad really going to curse him?

'No!' she screamed, trying to shove him out of the way. But someone else beat her to it.

'Don't you dare threaten my son!'

Rose stared at the intruder. The woman had shoved both of them behind her and faced her father. A petite woman with a friendly, open face and smiling eyes, she could only be Scorpius's mother. Only her face was not friendly anymore. It was determined and cold as she whipped out her wand, taking a defensive stance.

'If you want to fight, then fight me,' she bit out through clenched teeth.

'What the –! Who are you, woman?' growled Ron Weasley.

'Astoria Malfoy.'

Rose watched as hate and scorn flooded his face slowly. 'Excellent. _Another_ Malfoy.' He didn't lower his wand. If anything he clutched it tighter.

What is happening, thought Rose, trying to tamp down the panic that threatened to engulf her any moment. Were they going to fight? What would she do if they did? No no no. She couldn't let it happen. She had to do something. She had to do _something_. She looked around wildly, trying to figure out what to do.

The elders were still eyeing each other, their wands poised in the air.

'Do something!' she pleaded to Scorpius, who was standing there with his mouth slightly parted in shock and horror. He turned to her with blank eyes and kept staring.

Sudden footsteps were heard behind them just as Rose was ready to scream the house down and alert everyone.

'Put your wand away if you know what is good for you, Weasel,' sneered a cold, malicious voice.

All four turned to the new entrant of their current tableau. Draco Malfoy stood at the steps of the Entrance Hall, his face cold and sinister, his wand trailed on Ron Weasley.

'STUPEFY!'

'EXPELLIARMUS!'

The two spells collided with a bang, causing several onlookers to gasp and scurry away. They whirled so fast on each other that Rose hardly had time to register what was happening. Astoria let out a strangled cry.

'TANTALLEGRA!'

'PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"

Curses whizzed past them as the two old enemies dueled.

'Stay away from us, you filthy little ferret!'

'You stay away from my son, Weasel!'

'Rictumsempra!'

Mr. Malfoy ducked to avoid the curse just as thunderous footfalls thudded down the steps.

'PROTEGO!'

Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny and Mom had arrived at the scene. They were hurrying towards them. Uncle Harry was lowering his wand as he walked.

'Malfoy,' he acknowledged with a sharp nod.

'Potter,' Mr. Malfoy's response was equally cold.

Aunt Ginny looked worried. And Mom looked – livid.

'What in the name of Merlin's most baggy Y-fronts is going on here?' she demanded as soon as she reached Dad.

' _Language_ , Granger. Tsk tsk. You are starting to sound like Weasel,' Mr. Malfoy smirked, reminding Rose of a time when Scorpius used to do that.

'DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK TO MY WIFE LIKE THAT!' Dad threw away his wand and lunged at him, but was stopped by Uncle Harry.

'RONALD WEASLEY!' Mom bellowed.

' _Enough_ everyone,' Uncle Harry shouted. Everyone stilled.

'Now,' he said, in a calmer voice, 'would someone enlighten me as to what is happening here?'

'Your precious Weasel was threatening my wife and son,' said Mr. Malfoy. His sneer was gone, replaced by a cold fury that made Rose wish she was safe in her bed in the Gryffindor tower.

'Is that true?' Uncle Harry turned to Dad.

'I was doing what was needed to protect my daughter.'

'You needed to duel for that?' Aunt Ginny sounded incredulous.

Dad frowned.

'What actually happened?' Uncle Harry suddenly turned to Rose and Scorpius.

Rose swallowed to moisten her dry mouth. Scorpius came forward.

'It was my fault, actually. I was dancing with Rose.'

Uncle Harry furrowed his brow. 'I see no fault in that.' He turned to Dad, 'Did you object because he is a Malfoy's son? Well, he isn't like his father,' he shrugged.

Draco Malfoy curled his lips into the most disdainful expression he could muster. 'Saint Potter defending a Malfoy. That's something new.'

Uncle Harry ignored him.

'I don't want a Malfoy anywhere near my family,' Dad said angrily. The Malfoys drew themselves up at his words.

'Watch your language, Weasley. Someday you might end up grievously injured if you don't curb that tongue.'

They glared at each other, clenching and unclenching their fists.

Mom was fuming.

'Shame on you, Ronald. And yet you call yourself a reasonable person.'

'What does that mean?' scowled Dad.

'This entire ball was meant to promote friendship and well wishes within the Houses and without. You know what,' she said, shaking her head in disgust, 'it reminds of the Yule ball in our fourth year. You are behaving exactly as you did that night. Trying to break a friendship and all. You ruined that evening for me just as you are ruining it for her today.'

Rose suddenly found herself the focus of everyone's attention. Someone squeezed her fingers. She also realized she had tears running down her cheeks.

Dad looked flummoxed and slightly uneasy.

'What are you so against, anyway?' frowned Aunt Ginny.

'Did you forget what they did during the war? What Lucius Malfoy nearly did to you?' Dad jabbed an accusing finger at Mr. Malfoy.

'Look,' said Mr. Malfoy, suddenly appearing a lot more aged and tired, 'I know our family was hostile towards you all during the war. I know how my father was and how I behaved in the past. I know it's inexcusable and I'm not even trying to ask forgiveness. I only ask you this. Please don't let my son suffer for the mistakes his father committed.'

There was silence. Mr. Malfoy ran a frustrated hand through his hair and heaved a heavy sigh.

'Come, Astoria,' he said, holding out his hand, 'we have exhausted our welcome here.'

'Don't you flee like the coward that you are,' Dad said suddenly. 'I know what you are planning to do. I read all those reports – mountain trolls on the move – giants with winged tattoos on their back walking through the Greek seas – werewolves going underground. I am an Auror, not a fool. And I know what all this means.'

'What are you even trying to say?' asked Uncle Harry, bewildered.

'Harry, I'm telling you. These signs were there when You-know-Who was on the rise. For Godric's sake, don't you remember how Dumbledore sent Hagrid to watch the movements of the giants? And he was right too. And now history is starting to repeat itself – and I won't stand there watching my daughter make herself an easy target by being friends with a family that has a history of reverting to the Dark side at the first sign.'

'Ron. Be reasonable. You know they have come to our side,' said Uncle Harry.

' _They_ are standing right here, if you haven't noticed. And I don't need _you_ to defend my family, Potter,' spat Malfoy.

'Are you sure?' Mom asked suddenly, looking at Dad with scared eyes.

'Yes. The signs add up to it. Our Aurors have been tracking their movements for months. You should catch up on your files, Harry – you'd know I'm speaking the truth.'

'B-but it's a serious matter,' said Aunt Ginny. 'You don't think You-Know-Who would return?'

Everyone turned to Uncle Harry. He swept his hair away from his face before replying, 'I don't think Voldemort is behind any of this. He is dead.'

'Yeah everyone knows you killed him, Potter. Now get on with your theory,' said Mr. Malfoy impatiently.

'Why so eager all of a sudden, Malfoy? Looking to join the Dark forces again?' taunted Dad.

'Enough Ron! I trust Malfoy,' said Uncle Harry. Mr. Malfoy looked disgusted at the idea.

'Voldemort may be dead. But what he had started is yet to be stopped,' Uncle Harry paused. 'What is alarming is that we do not know who is behind all this – and I think that makes him even more dangerous.'

Rose felt her fingers squeezed again. She looked sideways to find Scorpius frowning at the elders, his eyes miles away.

'What?' she whispered.

He turned his head and looked at her. 'I think we should go find Al.' was all he said.

 **ooooo**

 _To be continued…_

 _ **As I said, a review does the trick… *winks***_


	19. Chapter 19 Shocking News

_**A/N: Hello my lovelies! How have you been? I had been slightly caught up in another fanfiction I'm writing at the moment (it's about Loki, if anybody is interested to know; you can go check it out – it's called**_ **A Mother Knows Best –** _ **I promise you wouldn't be disappointed). But then I started missing Rose and Scorpius and Albus, wondering what would happen next. So here I am, with another chapter, waiting anxiously to know your opinions. Do let me know if you are finding the story intriguing enough. Otherwise I feel like I'm struggling in vain.**_

 _ **To all those who showed their support in the meantime—Psycho-babydoll, kimberlycox08, HarrietMitchellx, billabong100, maria. , Saturn10710, Sylphfire, and last but not the least, mireen16—thank you from the bottom of my heart, for boosting my confidence. I would be more grateful if you leave a review in the next chapters – your views do matter to me very much.**_

 _ **Ok…so without further ado, I present *drum rolling* 'Shocking News'.**_

 **Disclaimer: All the original characters of the Harry Potter series are the express property of J. K. Rowling.**

 **-oOxOo-**

Scorpius watched as Rose slowly turned her head, her eyes full of questions he was asking himself too.

He was reeling under the onslaught of information pouring out in front of them as the elders forgot he and Rose were present there too. And in the back of his mind, Scorpius couldn't help but think that what Al had told him earlier at the ball was somehow closely tied to what the elders were discussing – the mysterious disappearance of the werewolves, the movement of the mountain trolls – even giants may be, as Mr. Weasley didn't fail to remind the rest of them.

All these struck Scorpius as extremely disconcerting, to say the least. And then Mr. Potter's ominous statement – that may be there were sinister forces working behind all this – something strange yet familiar – something that they all had experienced before. In short, history was repeating itself once again.

A chill ran down his spine. He shivered lightly, sucking in a quick breath of cold air.

'We can't,' whispered Rose, quietly but firmly. 'They won't let us.' She jerked her head towards the three men still speculating and arguing amongst them.

'But we have too,' said Scorpius, hearing the note of urgency in his own voice.

Rose frowned. 'What do you mean?'

'Listen,' he said, 'Al revealed something to me at the ball – something that didn't make any sense to me at that time but is starting to now.'

Rose fully faced him now, her brows drawn and eyes sharp. The tear stains had dried leaving faint tracks.

'He said that Delphini Diggory was not who she seemed to be. In fact, her name may not even have been Diggory at all.'

'What! You mean – like an imposter?' she asked hesitantly.

Scorpius nodded, 'Al was intrigued by the fact that Amos Diggory did not seem bothered about the matter – as if he was convinced he had a niece by that name – and he never in his life had a niece!'

Rose looked over at the elders, thinking deeply. 'That's strange,' she said slowly. 'And you feel we should find Al and make him tell all this to the elders?'

Scorpius nodded again, 'I have a strange feeling it has got something to do with these developments.'

They stopped just in time to hear Mr. Potter ask hastily, 'Have you seen him?'

Mr. Weasley nodded. 'I could do nothing. I lost them in the crowd. They must have Disapparated once they reached the periphery.'

Father broke into their conversation, 'Nott, helped by Perkins – _Perkins_! How can it be possible? He is a highly trusted man. He was never on the dark side!'

Mr. Potter's face turned graver. 'This is a dangerous accusation you are making, Ron. Perkins isn't someone to be just frightened into betraying us. Unless –' he paused.

'It could be that he was under a Confundus charm,' suggested Mrs. Weasley.

'Exactly.'

'But how can you say Nott was there?' said Father. 'He is under high security as my father.'

Scorpius watched his mother slide her hand around his waist and give him a squeeze. His father leant into her.

'Perhaps he was not guarded well enough!' Ron Weasley stared at his father menacingly. 'Or perhaps he was helped by some _old_ friend – '

'Are you suggesting I helped him?!' asked Father, his tone incredulous.

'Malfoy is right. How can you say he helped him? The Ministry has kept an eye on him ever since the Great War,' said Mr. Potter.

'And yet Nott was found in possession of a Time-Turner – something that had ceased existing since –,' Mr. Weasley jerked to a stop.

There was a deafening silence.

Scorpius could hear his own heart beat a tattoo in his ear. He looked sideways to find Rose listening, with a shocked expression in her face. Her mouth hung open.

'Hush,' said Mr. Potter. 'This is not the place to discuss such things!'

The elders looked about uneasily. The air had suddenly grown a whole lot tenser.

Scorpius jumped when Rose grabbed his hand forcefully and whispered, 'We must tell them about Delphini.'

'But – '

'No buts. I think it's really important to let them know what we know. It could be vital information.'

Scorpius looked at her hard and long. 'How do you know?'

'The Time-Turner,' she said quietly. 'I thought it was all rumour. But it's real. And if it was in the hands of Theodore Nott – I don't even want to think what the consequences would be.' She shook her head. 'We need to warn them.'

'Ok,' said Scorpius, 'But first we must find Al.'

Rose looked at her father uneasily. 'Alright,' she agreed, 'but make sure they do not see us.'

The two of them crept away slowly, mindful not to cause any unexpected noise. Each crunch of the gravel sped up their heartbeats till they could almost feel it rattling against their ribcage. Their breath curled upwards, rising before them like thin mist.

The front lawn was deserted as most of the guests were busy at the dinner table. The smell of roast lamb and thick stews and boiled potatoes wafted in the air causing Scorpius's stomach to growl. But he didn't pay attention. Time was of essence.

They marched past the figure of Hagbert the Humble, swept into the Great Hall and promptly got lost in the crush around the tables. Food was piled high in each individual sideboard. People walked back and forth, fetching items to eat or drink, choosing from the various delicacies displayed on these sideboards. The hall echoed with the chatter of the guests and students. The professors were nowhere to be seen.

'Oh dear,' whispered Rose worriedly. 'How do we find Al in this crush?'

'C'mon,' Scorpius tugged at her wrist. He had just spied Lily and Hugo making their way to a corner, with their plates held in their hands. They would at least have some idea where Al was.

They navigated through the human sea, frequently dodging plates overflowing with delicacies and goblets filled to the brim. Hugo was halfway through his third slice of pie when they arrived. Lily grinned and offered them her plate.

'Here. Have some treacle tart,' she offered.

Rose shook her head, 'Thanks, Lil. But we need to find Al. Do you know where he is?'

Scorpius kept looking around. May be he could catch a glimpse of Al.

'I think I saw him walking towards the stairs,' Hugo said with his mouth full.

They whisked around and made for the stairs leading to the first floor. They were halfway up the broad marble staircase when they bumped into Al himself.

'Where have you _been_?! I have been looking all over for you!' he said, his face scrunched with anxiety.

'We were –'

'Looking for you too,' said Rose quickly, coming to Scorpius's rescue.

'I have some grave news,' said Al. 'I heard Headmistress McGonagall hurrying away to call a quick meeting just now. She was looking for my father and your parents,' he looked at Rose.

Scorpius and Rose exchanged puzzled glances.

'Why?' asked Scorpius.

Al looked around to make sure no one else was around them. Then he lowered his voice, 'Apparently Amos Diggory was found murdered in his bed. The Avada Kedavra,' he said, nodding at their shocked faces.

Rose lowered her hand from her mouth. 'Oh no!' she mumbled. 'There's no time to lose.' She whirled round and began climbing down the stairs, two at a time. Scorpius set off after her, Al following close behind.

'Hey!' said Al, panting, as they meandered past the crowd in the Great Hall, 'why did she run like that?'

Scorpius yelled over the din, 'Can't explain now. No time.'

They raced through the Entrance Hall and down the front stairs. Rose skidded to a halt beside the elders. They whipped around at the commotion. Scorpius and Al arrived two seconds later, clutching stitches at their sides.

'Where have you been?' Mr. Weasley demanded.

'We… were trying…to… find Al,' she gestured to Al, whizzing and out of breath.

Al looked puzzled to find himself in the middle of an impromptu meeting. 'What's going on?' he asked, sensing the tension and looking from one face to another.

'What was _he_ doing, going with you?' Mr. Weasley asked pointedly, jabbing a finger in Scorpius's direction.

'Give it a rest, Ron,' said Mrs. Weasley exasperatedly.

Scorpius had reached a decision by then he stepped forward.

'Sir,' he said, trying to ignore the frogs leaping inside his stomach and addressing himself to Mr. Potter, 'I think you should want to hear what Al found out this morning.' He turned his head to see Rose nodding vigourously.

Al was frowning, confused by everything.

'Tell them,' Scorpius urged him with his head.

'Tell us what?' asked Mrs. Weasley, looking at them with narrowed eyes.

The others waited, silently watching.

'It's about all those disappearances,' said Rose. That got everybody's attention.

'Go on,' urged Mr. Potter, suddenly interested.

Al took a deep breath. 'I think Delphini Diggory is a fraud,' he said.

Father raised one of his brows, 'And this is important because – '

Mr. Potter looked doubtful.

Scorpius plunged forward. 'No, hear us out. I think no one by the name Delphini Diggory exists. Because Amos had no sibling, and neither did his father.'

Mrs. Weasley looked at him alarm. He nodded. 'Al dug out the Diggory family tree and confirmed it.'

'Then who was she? The one who was helping him around?' wondered Mr. Potter.

'We don't know,' said Rose, her face ashen. 'But whoever it was must have been very clever. She or he, if it was someone using Polyjuice Potion, managed to Confund him into thinking she was his niece.'

'I still don't understand how it is related to all this,' Mother remarked for the first time.

'Amos Diggory was found murdered in his bed,' Al blurted out.

The silence stretched out till all could hear their heartbeats screaming in their ears.

'Bloody hell!' exclaimed Mr. Weasley, and for once his wife didn't admonish him for it.

'Who told you this?' asked Mr. Potter urgently.

'No one. I heard the professors discussing it. The headmistress wanted to see you. I guess they are searching for you at this very moment.'

'Alright. This is a bad news. You three,' he said, pointing to Al, Scorpius and Rose, 'come with us. We need to find the headmistress as fast as we can. I hope no one else hears about it till we have managed to find out who was responsible,' he muttered to himself.

The gravels crunched under their feet as the elders started shifting, hurrying back to the castle.

'What about us?' asked Father. Scorpius anxiously looked at Mr. Potter, since he seemed to be the one in charge.

'You too,' said Mr. Potter. Scorpius blew out a short breath.

Mr. Weasley was just about to turn (not before sending a glare towards Scorpius), when suddenly, everyone, including him, was taken aback by the ferocity with which Mrs. Weasley grabbed Mr. Weasley's collar, hissing, 'Oh no you don't!'

All the others took a hasty step back. Mr. Weasley looked like he feared for his life. He should too, thought Scorpius, judging by the murderous look on her face.

Rose's eyes seemed ready to pop out.

Mrs. Weasley, however, appeared unfazed. She let go of her husband's collar and clutched something tightly in her fist, glaring at it as if it had offended her to the highest degree.

'What is it, 'Mione?' croaked Mr. Weasley, righting his collars.

'We were being bugged,' she said, apparently disgusted.

Scorpius watched as the Golden Trio gave each other knowing looks and pulled out their wands once again.

'What are you doing? What's going on?'

Scorpius watched as his mother silently reached for her wand too. Father stayed her hand.

'It's nothing, dear. They are just making sure we won't be spied upon again.'

Scorpius looked on fascinated as the Golden Trio pointed their wands collectively at Mrs. Weasley's clenched fist.

'On the count of three,' said Mr. Potter. 'One – two – three –'

Mrs. Weasley unclenched her fist just as the three silent spells collided. There was a loud whoosh – and then –

Scorpius felt his jaws drop to his knees. Rose let out a tiny yelp of surprise as did Al beside her.

A woman stood where Mrs. Weasley's hand had been. A woman in electric blue robes, chipped nails painted scarlet, tightly curled blonde hair and horned spectacles.

Rita Skeeter was in their midst.

ooooo

 _TBC…_

 _ **Review!**_

 _ **And do forgive if there are any mistakes in the chapter. I make a terrible proofreader...**_


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